


At the Edge of Forever

by Starfur373



Category: The Walking Dead - All Media Types
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-13
Updated: 2016-01-03
Packaged: 2018-04-09 02:46:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 30,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4330860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starfur373/pseuds/Starfur373
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU, sequel to Out of the Ashes but can probably be read as its own story. Set eight years in the future, Carol is a high school English teacher and Daryl is a mechanic. Life has been smooth and peaceful for them, and they’re fully prepared to take the next step and officially begin their lives together, but will resurfacing drama from their past stand in their way?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi all! So, I was having a bit of writer's block when working on A Broken Wing (which I promise I'm still working on) and I had this idea for a sequel to Out of the Ashes. I know I've really been wanting to write something fluffy and happy lately, so I think that's what this story will end up being. The response to Out of the Ashes was absolutely amazing, so I really hope you all enjoy this one as well! :)

Carol checked her reflection in the mirror one last time before exiting the bathroom and heading for the bedroom she shared with Daryl. She remembered it as if it were only yesterday, the day he’d gotten the phone call. They’d found his father, dead in a motel room off the interstate somewhere up north. His waitress friend was nowhere to be found, and he’d apparently drank himself to death. Whatever little money he’d had had been left to Merle, who happily took it and used it to buy himself his own place on the outskirts of town. That had left Daryl to live alone, and he’d quickly set to work about fixing up the place. He’d either sold or thrown away all of his father’s things, and Merle had taken all of his belongings with him when he moved out. Daryl did yard work for weeks, fixing up the house and yard to make it look habitable and welcoming. 

When he’d finished he’d called Carol excitedly, asking her to come over as quickly as she could. She’d made her way to the house, amazed at how incredible the place looked. Daryl had taken her into his bedroom, making love to her slowly and passionately, and afterwards they laid in his bed wrapped up in each other, and he’d asked her to move in with him. He confessed that that had been his plan all along, to fix the place up and have her move in to live with him. Of course she’d said yes without any hesitation, much to her parents’ dismay. But eventually even they came around, knowing how deeply she loved Daryl, and how much he cared about her. 

Life with Daryl was the easiest thing Carol had ever known. After grad school she’d gotten a job at the local high school, the same school where she and Daryl had first met and fallen in love. She was an English teacher, and she loved her job. After graduating from the trade school, Daryl had scored a full-time job as a mechanic at a newly opened garage in town. Now they both had steady jobs, bills to pay, and each other to come home to every night. It was everything Carol had dreamed of and more. 

Carol climbed into bed beside Daryl, bringing her head down to rest on his chest. 

“Talked to Rick today,” Daryl grumbled. 

“Really? How’s the honeymoon going?” Carol asked, wrapping an arm around him. He placed a kiss on the top of her head before replying. 

“Apparently, it’s goin’ good,” he said. “Michonne’s lovin’ Paris.”

“Good,” Carol said, remembering back to Rick and Michonne’s wedding just a few days before. Michonne had been absolutely radiant, and she thought it couldn’t be possible for Rick’s cheek muscles to smile any wider. 

“Hey, scoot up here,” Daryl said, nudging her gently. With a smile she happily obliged, moving up to lie on the pillows beside him. He pulled her in for a kiss, bringing his hand to rest on her hip. Her fingers tangled in his hair, still shaggy as ever, and she opened her mouth to him willingly when she felt his tongue trailing along her bottom lip. They kissed deeply, their tongues dancing in time with each other slowly, and Carol sucked in a breath when she felt Daryl’s hand move up and under the back of her shirt.

“Daryl,” she whispered. “We just did this literally an hour ago.”

“So?” he asked, kissing her again as he rolled on top of her. She squealed as he did, gazing up to see the lust in his clear blue eyes. “Can’t get enough of ya.” He kissed her again and Carol melted into him, bringing a leg up to wrap around his waist. She could already feel his erection straining through his boxers, and she grinned against his lips as she wiggled her hips against him. He groaned, squeezing his eyes tightly closed.

“Fuck, Carol,” he said huskily. He pulled her into a sitting position quickly, yanking her shirt up and over her head, tossing it carelessly to the floor. His mouth was on her breast in an instant and Carol sighed, arching into him as his tongue circled her already rigid nipple. His fingers teased at her other breast, and Carol let her fingers run lazily through his hair as he began to kiss his way down her bare stomach. His fingers hooked themselves around her pajama pants, yanking them and her panties off in one fluid motion. He only did that when he was after a very particular something, and knowing firsthand the things Daryl could do with his tongue, Carol was not about to object. She spread her legs to him, feeling the desire spread through her as he kissed his way further down. She shivered as his hands trailed delicately down her thighs, and she felt his whiskers tickle between her legs as he drew closer. She felt him move closer and closer with each kiss and held her breath as she waited for his mouth to settle right where she wanted him. He was half an inch away, just one more little kiss, and Carol squeezed her eyes shut in anticipation. 

When she was still waiting, she opened her eyes to look down at him. 

“Why’d you stop?” she whined, and he chuckled as he stared up at her. 

“I like watchin’ ya,” he winked, and she tried not to pout.

“Yeah, but Dar – fuck!” She hadn’t even noticed his hand drifting closer to her, and when his finger slid once through her already slick folds she bucked her hips in surprise. “Sneak attacks aren’t fair,” she panted, and he snickered. He brought his lips to her again, sliding his tongue through her folds a few times before moving up to circle her clit with his tongue. Carol was breathing heavily, her hands gripping the sheets as he loved her. She gasped when he slipped a finger inside her, and sighed as he added a second one. He pumped them in and out slowly, his tongue still circling her clit, and Carol knew it would be only a matter of moments before he’d send her spiraling over the edge.

“Oh, Daryl,” she moaned softly, her eyes rolling into the back of her head as his tongue worked at her. He hummed against her, never breaking his pace, and the sensation was her undoing. Her whole body shook and she saw stars as his tongue continued to stroke her through her climax. As she came down from her high, she opened her eyes slowly to see him grinning up at her. 

“You’re fucking amazing,” she panted heavily, and he grinned. He kissed his way up her body slowly, trailing kisses up her stomach, along the valley between her breasts, and up the hollow of her throat until he finally arrived at her lips. She could taste herself on his mouth, and the taste turned her on all over again. She slipped a hand between them, wrapping it around his boxer-clad member. He hissed into her mouth, and she grinned. He pulled his own boxers off, his erection springing free as he pounced on her. He kissed her again, spreading her legs apart eagerly as he guided himself to her entrance. As he pushed into her she sighed, and he lay there for a moment to compose himself before he began to move. He started out slowly but that hesitancy didn’t last very long. She met him thrust for thrust, moaning and panting against his lips as he worked her closer and closer towards a second orgasm. With one final thrust he spilled inside her, triggering her climax as well. 

She came down a few moments after he did, and she gazed up into his eyes. “I love you,” she said.

“Love ya too,” he sighed, coming to lay down beside her. He drew the blanket over them, kissing her firmly on the lips. He wrapped an arm around her, pulling her closer to his chest. She curled into him, sighing contentedly as she closed her eyes. She was surprised a few moments later when Daryl spoke.

“Still on the pill, right?”

Shit. “Yeah,” she replied. “Good thing, because we never seem to remember the damn condoms anymore.”

“The what?” he asked, and Carol giggled as she swatted his arm playfully. He chuckled, pressing a kiss to her hair. 

“You know, when I moved in with you, you specifically promised my father that you wouldn’t get me pregnant, Dixon,” Carol teased. 

“Yeah, I know,” he mumbled sleepily. “I just get a bit carried away sometimes.” He blinked groggily up at her. “Ya make me crazy, Carol.”

She smiled at that. “Hmm, you know you drive me crazy too, Pookie.”

Daryl groaned. “Are ya ever gonna quit it with that Pookie shit?”

“Nope,” she smiled, pressing a kiss to his lips. “Goodnight, Pookie.” He sighed heavily, but he snuggled closer to her, falling asleep in a matter of minutes. He was definitely a cuddler, and Carol smiled to herself as she stared down at his sleeping face. He really was beautiful, even though he hated it whenever she told him so. She trailed a finger lazily across his cheek, closing her eyes contentedly and finally letting sleep pull her under.


	2. Chapter 2

That Saturday, Carol woke up first. She blinked sleepily at the clock beside their bed, seeing that it was just past 11:00. She glanced down at Daryl, whose head was resting soundly on her chest as he held her tight, his legs tangled up with hers. She tried to shift subtly out of his grip but his arms wouldn’t budge, holding her firmly in place. She sighed gently, her breath ruffling his hair as he snored softly. She ran her fingers delicately through the locks of hair that fell into his eyes, watching him as he slept. He looked so peaceful, and she felt herself fall a little deeper in love with him as she gazed at his sleeping features. Even after all this time, he still managed to stir these feelings deep inside her, feelings that she’d never felt for anyone else in her entire life.

She was rudely startled out of her thoughts when Daryl’s phone went off loudly. He jumped awake, grumbling incoherently as he blinked around their room wildly. Carol tried not to let him see her giggle.

“Cell phone,” she said with a smile. He untangled himself from her, reaching over and grabbing for his phone. Carol laid back on the pillows as he answered it.

“’Sup Merle,” he said groggily, still blinking the sleep from his eyes. He waited for a few seconds before replying. “What time? …Twelve? …Nah, make it one… Alright, see ya then.” He hung up, placing the phone back down before rolling back over in bed, snuggling up against Carol again. 

“What did Merle want?” she asked, running her fingers through his hair.

“Needs t’ borrow the truck,” he mumbled against her neck. “Told him I’d meet him at his place at one.”

“You could’ve made it there by twelve,” Carol mused, recalling the bits of their conversation that she’d heard.

“Mmm, I gotta shower,” he mumbled, blinking blearily up at her.

“You only take five minutes to shower,” Carol said, feeling confused. Daryl smirked up at her.

“Not if ya come in there with me,” he replied. Carol couldn’t help but smile at that.

“You know, I like the way you think, Dixon,” she replied. She leaned down to kiss him, climbing out of bed nimbly.

“Ugh, no, come back,” he whined, reaching for her. Carol laughed. 

“Get up, you big teddy bear, or I’ll go ahead and shower without you.”

“Fuck no, ya won’t,” he said, climbing out of bed after her. Carol squealed, racing for the bathroom while Daryl chased after her. He caught up to her, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist and holding her tight. She shrieked as he grabbed her, turning around in his arms to kiss him. She loved waking up to weekend mornings like this, where they could just be silly with each other and enjoy spending time together. These were her favorite little moments with Daryl, and she couldn’t get enough of them. Or him. No matter how much time went by, she loved that he was still able to surprise her on days like this, and she loved that spending every weekend this way never seemed to get old. 

After a steamy and very satisfying session in the shower, Carol and Daryl pulled up to Merle’s house just past one. 

“Baby brother!” Merle’s booming voice thundered down the driveway. One thing that Carol figured would never change was just how obnoxious Merle’s regular speaking voice was. “Thanks fer bringin’ the truck. And hello there, ‘lil darlin’,” he whooped when he saw Carol climb out of the passenger seat. “’Lil Daryl didn’ say he’d be bringin’ ya along.”

“I just thought I’d come along for the ride,” she said with a smile. 

“Always lovely t’ see ya, darlin’,” Merle said with a wide smile. “Anyhoo, I need t’ take some shit down t’ the dump, ‘n I’ll need t’ make a couple ‘a trips. Is it cool if I bring the truck ‘round yer place Monday? Ya can borrow the bike ‘till then.”

“Yeah, that’s fine,” Daryl replied, handing Merle the key to the truck. Merle handed him the key to the motorcycle, and Daryl added it to his keyring to hang beside his old jasper stone that Carol had given him. She still wore hers around her wrist – the only time she’d ever taken it off was when Daryl had repaired the bracelet for her a couple of years prior. Other than that, it remained securely tied to her wrist at all times. 

“Gotta work ‘till five on Monday. I’ll bring the truck ‘round after that, though,” Merle said.

“Sounds good,” Daryl replied. “See ya then.” He took Carol’s hand in his, leading her over to Merle’s motorcycle. She climbed on behind him, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist as the bike roared to life. She waved goodbye to Merle as Daryl drove off down the drive, heading for home. She still loved that old bike, and she loved the way it felt to be pressed firmly up against his back as they drove. For as much as she loved riding in the truck with Daryl, there were still some days where she just missed that damn bike. 

***** 

When Monday rolled around, Carol found herself wishing for what felt like the millionth time that the weekend could be just a little bit longer. It wasn’t that she hated her job, she just missed spending every moment with Daryl as she did on weekends. Teaching all day left her missing him for far too long, and she typically skipped into his arms every night when he came home from work. 

This particular Monday started out fairly normal. Carol woke up, drank two cups of coffee, kissed Daryl goodbye and parked her Jeep Cherokee in her usual spot in the teachers’ parking lot at the high school. It wasn’t until she entered her classroom that things began to get a little weird. Seated in the front row of the room was Principal Horvath.

“Good morning, Carol,” he said with a smile. 

“Morning, Dale,” she replied. It had taken her awhile to get used to the idea of calling him by his first name, but he had insisted that all teachers in the school refer to him by his first name. Eventually she’d gotten used to it, but every once in a while it still felt a bit odd to her. This felt like one of those times. 

“I have some news for you,” he began slowly. 

“Okay,” Carol said, leaning up against a table at the front of the classroom. 

“I’ve hired a new football coach.”

“Okay,” Carol repeated. “What does that have to do with my English classes?”

“Actually, it’s what it has to do with you specifically that has me concerned,” Dale replied carefully. 

Now Carol was very confused. She waited silently for him to continue. 

“I just wanted to make sure to let you know, that if there are any issues at all, you can come and talk to me at any time to talk about them. Alright?”

“Okay,” she replied slowly. 

“Excellent,” Dale replied with a smile. “I’m glad we’re on the same page, here. I’ll talk to you soon, Carol. Happy Monday!” He stood up, moving to exit the classroom. Carol’s head was spinning, and she called out a question after him. 

“Dale! What was the new coach’s name?”

He turned around slowly, frowning slightly. “I’m afraid you’ll probably find that out for yourself soon enough,” he replied. Without another word, he turned and exited the classroom. 

Carol’s head was reeling. Why would the new football coach bear any significance to her at all? She’d never been a football fan by any means, so she didn’t think she could name any professional players. Puzzled, she made her way over to the teacher’s lounge to make a few photocopies for the coming week. 

She ran her papers through the machine, and she was just waiting for her copies to finish printing when she heard someone else enter the lounge. She turned to see who it was, and as she did, she thought she felt the world stop spinning for a moment. 

Standing in the doorway to the teachers’ lounge was the obvious new football coach. He hadn’t changed at all – he was still big and brawny, and he still had that self-important smirk plastered across his stupid face. Carol couldn’t decide if she wanted to cry, vomit, or run. Maybe all three, she thought to herself. 

“Hello Carol,” he said slowly. God, his voice even sounds the same, she thought. She swallowed uncomfortably before responding. 

“Hello Ed.”


	3. Chapter 3

“Long time, no see,” Ed said, smirking as he allowed the door of the lounge to swing shut behind him. 

“Hmm,” Carol said slowly, trying to process the entire situation. This was really happening. Ed was here. Ed was back. Ed was talking to her. 

He continued to smirk at her as he glanced over her, not even trying to be subtle as his eyes scanned her from top to bottom. “You look good,” he told her.

Carol scoffed. “Thanks,” she said curtly, turning pointedly away from him. The entire situation just felt so bizarre to her that she couldn’t help but proceed with caution. She wasn’t exactly about to forgive Ed for all the things he’d said and done while they were in high school. He’d been a royal asshole to her, and he’d beat up Daryl more times than Carol cared to remember. 

“So, you and Dixon still together?” he asked, leaning casually against a counter. 

Carol nodded. “Yeah. We are.”

Ed whistled softly. “Wow. Gotta give you two credit there, I guess. Not many high school couples manage to stay together after graduation. Guess you two are just something special, huh?”

Carol glared in his general direction, trying to detect any subliminal messages to his comment. “Yeah,” she agreed. It was then that her photocopies finally finished printing. With an inward sigh of relief she grabbed her papers, turning to head for the door.

“Well, I have to get back to my classroom,” she said.

“Of course, don’t let me keep you,” Ed said with a smile that made Carol’s skin crawl. “It was nice seeing you again, Carol.” Without another word, Carol practically ran out of the teacher’s lounge.

The entire walk back to her classroom, her head was reeling. Ed Peletier? Of all people, it had to be him? Giving herself a mental shake she entered her classroom, organizing her papers and getting herself ready for the new school week. She glanced idly at the clock, gauging how much time she had. She had about twenty minutes, she figured. She definitely had time to make a phone call. Sitting down at her desk, she pulled out her cell phone. She was completely poised and ready to dial Daryl’s number when she stopped herself. He was probably just getting to work now, she realized, and mentioning Ed to him would just rile him up and upset him. No, perhaps she shouldn’t call Daryl, she thought as she went to set down her phone. But if she didn’t tell anyone soon, she might explode. It was too early to call Tara – she’d still be asleep, and she didn’t take too kindly to being woken up early. 

Before she knew what she was doing, she was making a different phone call.

“Hello?”

“Michonne? It’s me.”

“Carol darling, I am loving this whole honeymoon thing,” Michonne gushed. “You and Daryl should try it sometime. Seriously, tell him to get a move on, and then ask him to take you to Paris. This place is beautiful!”

“Michonne,” Carol said, interjecting curtly. “I’m glad you’re enjoying your honeymoon. Really, I am. But that isn’t why I called.”

“Oh. Okay. Okay, what’s up?” Michonne asked. Carol realized that even from Europe Michonne could tell when she was upset.

“Dale came to talk to me this morning. Apparently he hired us a new football coach,” she started slowly, planning every word before she said it.

“Ooooh, is he cute?” Michonne asked excitedly. “I mean, I probably shouldn’t care anymore since I’m a married woman now, but anyway. Is he cute?”

“He’s Ed Peletier,” Carol replied abruptly. No point in sugarcoating it, she thought to herself. 

“Ed Peletier?!” Michonne screeched so loudly, Carol had to hold the phone out away from her ear.

“My reaction, exactly,” Carol replied.

“What the actual fuck, Horvath?” Michonne asked angrily. “Does he not remember everything that happened between you guys when we were in high school? I mean, I know he’s old, but he can’t be forgetting that bad…”

“Mich,” Carol cut in. “He definitely remembers. That’s not the point.”

“The point is you’re now working with the world’s number one asshole!” Michonne exclaimed.

“Exactly,” Carol replied. “I mean, there’s nothing I can really do about it, but I just had to tell somebody, you know? And I didn’t want to tell Daryl yet, it would just upset him and I didn’t want to do that to him just before he had to go to work.”

“Look at you being considerate,” Michonne gushed. “But anyway, I have questions, now. Did you talk to Ed yet?”

“Unfortunately,” Carol replied. “I just ran into him in the teachers’ lounge.”

“And?” Michonne pressed. “Is he as big of an asshole as you remember?”

“I can’t really tell,” Carol mused. “I mean, it was just really unsettling seeing him again, you know? He didn’t say anything about me being riddled with diseases or anything though, so that’s an improvement.” She thought back to all the horrible things Ed used to say to her during high school, primarily focusing on all the diseases he supposed she carried. She had to give herself a small shake to jerk herself away from those memories. 

“I’d watch out for him, Carol,” Michonne said thoughtfully. “Ed Peletier’s always been an asshole, and guys like him don’t change that much over time.”

“You’re right,” Carol said. “Of course you’re right. Ugh, this is all so damn weird,” she sighed heavily. “Okay. I have to go teach soon, so I’ll let you get back to your honeymoon.”

“I’ll have an extra glass of wine for you, my dear,” Michonne told her. “Don’t worry too much about it, though. You’re a damn English teacher. You probably won’t even have to see him that much.”

“You’re right,” Carol agreed. “Thanks, Mich. Talk to you soon.”

“Au revoir!” Michonne called, and Carol hung up the phone with a sigh. She still couldn’t believe this was happening. This couldn’t possibly be happening. Ed Peletier was supposed to be off somewhere on the west coast playing football. Last she’d heard, he’d gotten a semi-pro deal fresh out of college, and was living out in sunny California. Living the dream. So what the fuck would bring him back here?

A knocking at her door jolted her from her own thoughts.

“I take it you saw him?” Dale asked, coming into the classroom.

“Ed Peletier?” she asked. “Of all people, you had to hire Ed fucking Peletier?” She blushed a bit as she said it. It wasn’t like her to curse in front of her boss, but thankfully he didn’t seem to mind at all.

“I hope you know I had no other choice,” Dale replied earnestly. “I was in a jam, and we needed a new coach like, last month. I contacted a number of former professional and semi-professional players, but none of them got back to me. Just when it looked like we weren’t going to have a football team this year, Ed sent in his application. I had no choice but to hire him.” 

Carol sighed heavily. Of course she believed Dale – he would never hire Ed for any reason other than the benefit of the school. 

“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Carol replied with a sigh. “If he gives me any problems, I’ll let you know.”

“Excellent,” Dale replied with a sigh of relief. “Was there anything else you wanted to talk to me about?”

“No, I don’t think so,” Carol replied.

“Okay. We’ll talk soon,” Dale said with a smile. As he exited the room Carol couldn’t help but sigh to herself. This was going to be one long-ass day. 

***** 

That night, Carol had dinner almost ready when Daryl walked in the door. She rushed over to meet him at the front door, wrapping her arms around his neck and breathing in the strong smell of the outdoors mixed with motor oil and grease from the garage. 

“Mmm, missed ya today,” Daryl mumbled into her hair. “Ya didn’t call during lunch like ya always do. Everything okay?” Carol couldn’t help but feel guilty as she looked into his blue eyes, filled with concern for her. She’d thought about calling him during her lunch break, but she hadn’t been able to dial the number. She hadn’t even known what to say. 

“Yeah, everything’s fine,” she lied. “I just had a really busy day today.” She smiled reassuringly at him, leaning in to kiss his lips. He kissed her back fervently, his hand coming around her waist. 

“Okay,” he said. “Ya had me worried.”

“Sorry, Pookie,” she said with a smile. He rolled his eyes, kissing her nose gently. She smiled, taking a moment to enjoy this. She knew that as soon as she mentioned Ed, Daryl would be a sulking, emotional, angry mess, and she just wanted to take a moment to enjoy seeing the happier side of him. 

“Dinner’s almost ready,” she told him. “And Merle should be here soon to drop off the truck.” Almost as if on cue, a horn honked loudly from outside. Daryl chuckled softly.

“You go finish up dinner,” he told her. “I’ll deal with Merle.”

“Tell him I say hello!” she called after him. She made her way into the kitchen, finishing up their meal and scooping the food onto two plates for them. She set the plates and two fresh glasses of homemade sweet tea on the table. She’d just finished washing the pan and was lost in her own thoughts when Daryl reentered the kitchen. 

“So, what’s really botherin’ ya?” he asked, taking a seat at the table. Carol glanced over at him guiltily. Sometimes she really hated how easily he could read her. 

“How could you tell something was bothering me?” she asked, sitting down beside him.

“You’re bitin’ that lip the way ya do when you’re nervous or upset ‘bout somethin’,” he replied, reaching over to take her hand in his. “So, what’s wrong?”

Carol sighed. “Dale came to talk to me this morning.” He gazed at her expectantly, waiting for her to continue. She loved talking to Daryl sometimes simply because she knew he wouldn’t interrupt. “He hired a new football coach.”

She paused there, looking down at the table. He squeezed her hand gently, willing her to look back up at him. “What’s a football coach got to do with you?” he asked gently.

Carol sighed again, and Daryl ran his thumb reassuringly over her knuckles. She looked up at him before replying. “The person he hired to be the new coach,” she said. “It’s…”

Daryl stared at her expectantly. 

“It’s Ed Peletier,” she whispered.

Silence. 

“What?”

“Ed. Ed Peletier,” Carol whispered softly. 

She watched as the wheels turned in Daryl’s brain, his eyes flashing with a trace of something she hadn’t seen there in a long time. He stood up slowly, releasing her hand as he paced around the kitchen a few times.

“Daryl, say something,” Carol said.

“Fuckin’ Peletier?” he shouted and Carol flinched. “Sorry,” he mumbled, coming back to sit beside her. “I’m sorry, it’s just… Peletier? Ed fuckin’ Peletier?”

“The one and only,” Carol replied with a sigh. 

“Ya saw him?” he asked quietly. Carol nodded. “Did he bother ya?”

Carol shook her head. “No, I only saw him for a couple of minutes,” she replied. “It was just a bit unnerving to see him again, that’s all.”

Daryl sighed heavily. “Yeah. Unnervin’,” he mumbled. He was silent for a moment before he glanced over at her. “Ya gonna be okay?” he asked. “I remember what an asshole he was.”

“I’m sure I’ll be fine, Daryl,” she replied with a smile. She loved how he was always concerned for her, constantly making sure she was okay no matter what struggles they faced. “I probably won’t even see him that much.”

Daryl nodded. “Good. ‘Cause I won’t be there t’ knock him on his ass this time if he says anythin’ to ya,” he growled. 

“I’m sure he’ll be fine,” Carol replied. “It’s been years since we last saw him. People can change, Daryl.” 

Daryl nodded slowly. “Alright,” he said. “Alright, but if he gives ya any problems, you tell me. I’ll knock him on his ass. Again.” Carol couldn’t help but giggle at the last part. 

“Remember how he used t’ always say ya had diseases?” Daryl asked suddenly, glancing over at her. “’N that ya had fleas or some shit?”

“Yeah,” Carol said sadly. “Yeah, I remember. He was such an ass.”

“Yeah,” Daryl agreed. “Remember how ya used to bring me over to your house every time I fought him? Ya’d patch me up, ‘n we’d drink sweet tea in your livin’ room.”

Carol smiled at the memories. “That part I definitely remember,” she replied. 

“It’s how I first fell in love with ya,” Daryl said quietly, gazing over at her. Carol smiled at him. “Alright. He gives ya any trouble, any trouble at all, you better fuckin’ tell me. Alright?”

Carol leaned in to kiss him softly. “Alright,” she said. “I promise.”

He kissed her passionately, bringing a hand up to cradle her cheek. She kissed him back, sighing in contentment against his lips. It was in moments like these when Carol knew, no matter what difficulties they faced, she and Daryl would always make it through each and every one of them. Together.


	4. Chapter 4

Rick and Michonne returned home from their honeymoon a few days later. Daryl had called Rick almost immediately, asking him to meet him that night for drinks in town. He had something really important he needed to talk to him about. 

"Alright," Rick said, taking a seat at the bar beside Daryl. He ordered himself a beer, then turned to face him. "What the hell was so important and so damn top secret that you couldn't just talk to me about it over the phone? Is this about Carol working with Ed Peletier?" 

"What?" Daryl asked. "No, no, this has nothin' to do with fuckin' Peletier. Don't even mention that asshole."

"Oh. Okay. Then what is it?" Rick asked, taking a swig of the beer the bartender handed to him. 

"I wanna ask Carol to marry me."

Rick choked on the beer, slopping some of it onto the counter. "When the hell did you decide this?" he choked out. 

"Junior year of high school," Daryl said with a shrug. "But for real, I guess it was 'bout a year ago. Started savin' up some money, 'n I finally got enough saved up to get her somethin' real nice."

"Wow. Wow. Holy shit. Okay. Okay, so what does this have to do with me?" Rick asked. 

"I don't know how the fuck I should ask her," Daryl admitted, swirling his beer around between his hands. "How'd ya ask Michonne when you asked her?" 

"Gosh, I barely even remember," Rick replied, scratching at his chin. "I took her to the lake for a weekend. Made it real sweet and romantic." 

"Sweet 'n romantic," Daryl said thoughtfully, an idea popping into his head. "Alright. Think I got an idea. Thanks." 

"No problem," Rick said, taking another swig of his beer. "You got her a ring yet?"

"Not yet," Daryl replied. "Was gonna get outta work early tomorrow to go get one." 

Rick nodded silently. "So, I take it I shouldn't even mention this to Michonne."

"Not a fuckin' word. Woman can't keep her damn mouth shut. She'll go 'n blab to Carol ‘n spoil the whole thing." 

Rick laughed at that. "Yeah, she would," he agreed. "You know I love her, but the woman couldn't keep a secret if her life depended on it." 

The two sat in silence for a few minutes, drinking their beers. 

"Think she'll say yes?" Daryl asked quietly. 

"Of course she'll say yes," Rick said incredulously. "After all these years, how can you even be asking that question? You know how much Carol loves you."

"I know," Daryl mumbled, his eyes fixed on his drink. "Just keep thinkin'... Why me, y'know? She's beautiful, 'n she could've had anyone in the world. So why the fuck did she pick me?" 

"Daryl," Rick said. "I know you don't see it, but you've been amazing for her. You treat her right, and you love her just as much as she loves you. You guys are perfect for each other." Daryl glanced over at him. 

"Thanks," he muttered. 

"It's what I'm here for," Rick replied. "The motivational, best friend pre-proposal pep talk." Daryl snorted into his beer. 

“Right. You’re a real motivational speaker.”

“It’s my ultimate calling in life,” Rick replied and they both laughed. As Daryl sipped at his beer slowly he couldn’t help but wonder what Carol would say. He knew with all his heart that he loved her, and he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. But then he thought about what all of that would entail. Marriage, kids, bills to pay, kids, in sickness and in health, kids…. 

He and Carol had talked about the idea of having children together one day. Carol knew she definitely wanted children, but Daryl wasn’t so sure. He didn’t know the first thing about being a father, since he hadn’t really had much of one himself. He figured no kid would ever want to call him Daddy, but when he said as much to Carol she’d launched into some speech about what a wonderful father she knew he’d make. Giving himself a small shake, he took another small sip of his beer. Tomorrow he would go pick out a ring for Carol, and then he would finally ask her to be his wife. 

***** 

Carol glanced at the clock. It was already going on 6:00, and she was still sitting at her desk in her classroom grading papers. She hadn’t meant to stay so late, but once she’d gotten started she found it difficult to stop. She jumped a bit when her cell phone began to ring. It was Daryl.

“Hey,” she answered.

“Hey,” he said. “I just got home. Where are ya?”

“Still at the school,” she said. “I started grading papers and kind of lost track of time.”

“Okay,” he said. “Ya hungry? I’ll order us pizza.”

“Pizza sounds great,” Carol said. She hadn’t even realized she was hungry until Daryl mentioned food.

“Alright. Ya want the usual pepperoni?”

“Yes, please,” she said. “Thanks.”

“No problem. Hurry home, alright? I missed ya today.”

“Aw, I miss you too, Pookie,” she said, twirling a lock of her curly hair idly around her finger. 

“See ya soon. I love ya.”

“I love you, too.” As she set the phone down, she heard footsteps. Glancing up, she saw Ed stop at the door to her classroom.

“Well, look who’s still here,” he said with a wide smile, stepping inside the classroom. Carol hardly noticed her own sharp intake of breath, or the way the blood pounded in her ears at the sight of him. She was too busy trying to determine whether or not she’d be able to tuck and roll out the window behind her for a quick escape. 

“Hello again, Ed,” she said stiffly. 

“What are you still doing here?” he asked, leaning casually against a desk.

“Grading papers,” she said. “What are you still doing here?”

“Just finished football practice,” he replied. “Team’s lookin’ good this year.”

“That’s… great,” Carol said lamely. 

“That Dixon on the phone?” he asked. Carol nodded.

“Yes, it was Daryl.”

“He’s bringing you pizza?” How much of that conversation had he heard? 

“He is,” she said guardedly. “Which is why I was just about to head out for the day.”

“Of course,” Ed said, standing up straight. “Don’t let me keep you. You have a nice night, now.” He smiled one of those smiles that made her skin crawl, and turned to leave the room. “Tell Dixon I say hello,” he added over his shoulder. Carol couldn’t tell if she’d imagined it, or if his smile changed into a more sinister smirk. 

“Goodnight, Ed,” Carol said dismissively. She watched him leave through narrowed eyes. Giving herself a small shake, Carol packed up her things and headed out to her Cherokee. During the entire drive home, she desperately willed herself to think about anyone or anything other than Ed. He seemed like he was at least trying to be nice now, but there was still something that felt a bit off to her. She just couldn’t figure out what it was. 

As soon as Carol stepped foot inside the house, she could smell pizza. However, she didn’t have any time to think about it because as soon as the door closed behind her, Daryl’s arms were around her and his lips were on hers.

“Well, hello to you too,” she laughed against his lips. 

“Ya know, you’re even more beautiful than I remembered,” he said, gazing adoringly into her eyes.

“Someone’s in a good mood,” she said, feeling slightly bewildered. “What’s gotten into you?” 

“Nothin’,” he mumbled with a smile. “Listen, I’ve been thinkin’. Let’s do somethin’ fun this weekend. Just you ‘n me.”

“Okay,” said Carol. “What do you want to do?”

“It’ll be a surprise,” he said with a grin. “Just don’t plan anythin’ for Saturday. Alright?”

“Alright,” she agreed. “Are you going to give me a hint about what we’ll be doing?”

“Somethin’… sweet ‘n romantic,” he said with a grin.

“Sweet and romantic,” she repeated. “Okay.” He leaned in for another kiss.

“Okay,” he said. She couldn’t tell if the word was intended for her, or for himself.


	5. Chapter 5

Daryl moaned loudly as his back slammed into the bathroom sink. Carol’s fingers were in his hair, and he could hardly breathe what with how hard she was kissing him. He’d just gotten out of the shower when Carol had entered the bathroom, flinging his towel into the corner as she made it perfectly clear what she wanted. He tore her shirt over her head, tossing it to lie with his towel. He kneaded her breast with his hand as his tongue danced with hers, and he pressed himself up against her so she could feel just how hard he was. Carol groaned deep in her throat, and Daryl nearly exploded as she wiggled her hips against him.

He looped his fingers around the top of her lace panties, pulling them down her legs until she kicked them away. He spun her around, lifting her up so that she could sit on the edge of the counter. Her legs came up to wrap around his hips, pulling him even closer to her.

“God, Daryl,” she whimpered as his finger came up to slide through her slick folds. “I need you inside me,” she nearly begged, her blue eyes wide. “Now.”

“Don’t gotta ask me twice,” he grinned. He lined himself up and thrust into her without warning, and Carol moaned so loudly Daryl wondered how he didn’t blow his load right then. He fell into a steady rhythm, thrusting deeper and deeper inside her until he felt her walls clench tighter around him. He watched as she leaned her head back, eyes clenched shut as she screamed his name. Her orgasm triggered his own, and he groaned deep in his throat, sounding much like a wild animal as he fucked her on the counter.

They came down from their climaxes together, both of them breathing heavily and staring into the other’s eyes.

“Jesus Christ, you’re amazing,” Carol panted, leaning forward just enough to rest her forehead against his.

“You’re pretty fuckin’ amazin’ yourself,” he mumbled, trying to regain control of his breathing. She laughed once, gazing lovingly into his eyes.

“I love you so much, Daryl Dixon.”

Daryl swallowed hard, fighting against the lump rising in his throat.

“I love you too, beautiful.”

*****

Later that night Daryl lay awake beside Carol, his arm draped across her stomach as she slept soundly. He couldn’t take his eyes off her, taking in each and every rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. She was so beautiful, so utterly precious to him, and he let his mind drift to the little box he’d hidden away in the back of his underwear drawer earlier that evening. It was the only spot he could think of where he knew Carol would never stumble across it accidentally. He’d picked out the nicest ring he could find, wanting to find the perfect one. He’d had enough money to buy her a ring a few months ago, but he’d decided to wait and keep saving specifically so that he could get her something especially beautiful. After all, she was perfect, and she deserved to have the absolute best.

Which was why he still wasn’t sure why she’d ever fallen in love with him in the first place. She was so completely out of his league that even after all these years he was still asking himself just how he’d gotten so damned lucky.

He took in her peaceful, sleeping features, his gaze passing over the silver heart still hanging around her neck. True to her word, she’d worn it every day since the day he gave it to her. He’d only ever seen her take it off once, and he shuddered at the memory of that day.

He’d done or said something downright stupid, so utterly stupid he couldn’t even remember now what it was, and the two of them had resorted to shouting across the kitchen at each other. He’d said some things he wasn’t proud of, and she’d responded back, pouring just as much hurt and malice into her words as he had to his. He remembered how it felt watching her yank the necklace roughly from her own neck, throwing it down on the table.

_“Here, take your stupid heart back, I don’t fucking want it anymore.”_

He remembered how his heart ached, watching as she stormed from their house, her taillights fading fast as she drove away. He’d sank down onto the floor of the kitchen, right where she’d left him, clutching that silver heart to his chest and crying like he’d never cried before. He’d said some of the worst things to her, and thinking back her reaction had been entirely reasonable. He still remembered the way he’d sobbed in relief when he heard her pull back in the driveway a few hours later, wrenching open the front door to find her shaking on the front steps, tear stains trailing down her cheeks.

_“I’m sorry,” she sobbed, flinging herself into his arms. “I’m so sorry Daryl, I love you, I’m so, so sorry.”_

_“Shh,” he murmured, running his hands up and down her back gently. “Ya ain’t the one that needs t’ apologize. I was the asshole—“_

_“But I said the most horrible things, and I gave you that heart back—“ She choked on a sob, and Daryl hugged her a little tighter._

_“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I’m so sorry I treated ya like that Carol, ‘n ya had every reason t’ say what ya said. I love ya so much, Carol.”_

_She pulled back, bringing a shaky hand to his cheek. “God Daryl, I love you so much.” She kissed him so passionately Daryl could feel his heart mending itself in his chest, sighing as he pulled her closer to him. When at last they broke apart, Daryl held up the heart necklace._

_“Ya know this is always gonna be yours,” he said quietly._

_“I know,” she said unevenly. “God Daryl, I know. And you know I’ll always want it, and you’ll always have my heart too, God, I didn’t mean anything I said earlier—“_

_He cut her off with a kiss, wrapping her up in his arms again. “I know, Carol,” he murmured. “I know.”_

He recalled with a smile how he’d pulled the necklace back around her neck, returning it to its rightful place. They’d made love right there on the kitchen floor, and afterwards they told each other over and over again just how much they loved each other, as if each “I love you” would cancel out the horrible things they’d each said earlier.

Daryl had found himself thinking back to that particular night a lot lately, and he knew it had everything to do with him wanting to ask Carol to marry him. Of all the low moments they’d had over the years, that had to be the absolute lowest of them all. He knew that dwelling on that particular night would only reaffirm all his doubts about whether she’d actually say yes, so he tried to push the negative thoughts from his mind. He knew that if he asked her to marry him, she would say yes in an instant. And God, how he wanted her to. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. But he also knew that a woman like Carol deserved the damn moon, and he was definitely not the person that could give it to her. He’d die trying if he had to, but he knew in his heart that she could’ve had any other man in the entire world. Any man who would actually be worthy of her love.

And yet somehow, she’d chosen him. It still left him feeling completely bewildered, but at the same time he knew he’d be absolutely lost without her. Before Carol he’d been, nobody, nothing. Just some backwoods hick with a crossbow who didn’t need anybody. He’d been cold and isolated, entirely on his own. It was Carol who’d reached out to him, ultimately breaking through his outer shell and working her way into his heart. He’d never known anyone who could affect him the way that she did, and he was still left in awe every time she made him feel as if he was actually worth something.

In that moment, as he stared down at her flawless, sleeping face, he knew that there was no one else in the world who he would ever love as much as he loved her. And he knew in his heart that she was the only person he would ever want to be his wife. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! So, this story is a sequel to my first story Out of the Ashes, and I know I said it could be read on its own, but with this chapter I feel like I should probably say that your reading of this chapter might be enhanced a bit by reading Out of the Ashes first. It isn't totally necessary, but it might help to have that background story. 
> 
> That being said, I hope you all enjoy this chapter! I definitely had fun writing it :)

The rest of the week dragged by achingly slow for Daryl. He kept taking the little box that held Carol’s ring from his drawer, staring at it while he tried to figure out how he would ask her. He knew the when and where, but what he couldn’t figure out was _how_. How the hell was he supposed to ask the woman of his dreams to marry him? How could he even put what he felt for her into words? How could he ask her without clamming up? He still had absolutely no idea.

Even by the time Saturday morning rolled around, he still had no clue what he was going to say. He’d tried to plan it out a million times, rehearsing the words in the shower, in the bathroom mirror, even during his drive home from work. But no matter how many times he tried, he just couldn’t get the words right and he was so scared that when the time came to actually ask Carol it would come out all wrong and he would screw the whole thing up.

Trying to swallow all his doubts, he placed the little box carefully in his pocket. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves as he exited their bedroom and found Carol perched perfectly on the edge of the couch. As he looked at her now he could scarcely believe that if everything went well today, this perfect angel would agree to become his wife. He took a deep breath, putting on a smile and moving to take her hand. She took it gracefully, moving to follow him out the front door.

“So, are you going to tell me where we’re going?” she asked playfully.

“Nope,” Daryl said. “You’ll find out soon enough, anyway.”

“You’re killing me with the suspense here, Pookie.” As he held open the passenger side door of the truck for her, Daryl leaned in to give her a gentle kiss on the cheek.

“Don’t even worry ‘bout it,” he said quietly. “Just sit back ‘n enjoy the ride.” He climbed up into the driver’s seat, backing the truck out of their driveway and driving the familiar drive just down the road. As he pulled into a parking spot, he glanced over at Carol to see her misty-eyed smile.

“Daryl,” she said tearfully, looking over at him. He smiled at her, and she laughed softly. “We haven’t been here in ages,” she whispered thoughtfully, as he held open the passenger side door for her to hop out. He reached into the bed of his truck, grabbing a cooler and a blanket. He took hold of her hand in his free one, leading her up the hill to that same spot. To _their_ spot.

He spread the blanket over the grass beneath the shade of the tree, and he noticed Carol looking at the tree trunk as he did. Her gentle fingers came over to trace along their initials, still carved into the bark of the tree from all those years ago. He watched a gentle tear roll down her cheek.

“Hey,” he said softly, wiping it away with his finger. Her eyes met his, and he almost asked her to marry him right then. “Why are ya cryin’?”

“I’m just remembering,” she said softly. “This was the spot where you asked me to prom.”

“Yep,” he agreed, wrapping his arms around her waist.

“And it was where you first told me you loved me.”

“Mmhmm, ‘n ya said it right back to me,” he said with a smile.

“And you gave me this necklace,” she said, her fingers coming up to the heart still hanging around her neck.

“’N ya gave me that keychain ya made for me,” he added.

“And you carved our initials into this tree,” she said, looking over at the **C + D** still carved prominently inside of a heart. “We used to come here all the time.”

“Yep,” he said. “Thought it’d be a nice day t’ come on back.”

“Why today?” Carol asked, turning to face him. Daryl felt his stomach flip over as he quickly searched for something to say without spoiling the surprise.

“I told ya,” he replied, moving to sit down on the blanket. She settled herself next to him, gazing at him attentively. “I said we were doin’ somethin’ sweet ‘n romantic.”

“Well, this is definitely very sweet and romantic,” Carol said with a smile, leaning over to kiss him softly. “I love you, Pookie.”

“I love ya, too. ‘N there’s still more,” he said, smirking at her.

“There’s more?” she asked. He glanced over at the cooler with a smirk and Carol gasped. “Daryl,” she said incredulously. “You didn’t.”

He continued smirking as he reached inside the cooler, pulling out a sandwich.

“Ham ‘n cheese,” he said handing it to her.

“Oh my God,” she said, taking it from him. He reached back inside the cooler.

“Bag of pretzels,” he said, placing the bag in front of her. “And let’s not forget…” He reached back into the cooler, pulling out a bottle. “One bottle of your famous homemade sweet tea for us to share.”

Carol giggled softly. “It’s like high school all over again,” she said, looking around at the food items before them. “You weren’t kidding about the sweet and romantic thing.”

“Daryl Dixon don’t kid around about that kinda stuff,” he said with a smirk. Carol smiled, then she began to giggle.

“Remember the first time we drank from the same bottle?” she asked. “You were all nervous that there was only one for us to share.”

“Yeah, I remember,” he said softly. “Ya asked if I had cooties.” Carol giggled at the memory.

“God, that feels like it was so long ago now,” she said with a smile. “Now we just drink from the same bottle like it’s as natural as breathing.”

“It is as natural as breathin’,” Daryl said, getting a laugh out of her. She unwrapped the sandwich then, handing half over to him while taking the other half for herself. They ate their sandwich in silence, taking turns sipping from the bottle of sweet tea.

When they’d finished their meal and were idly picking at pretzels and sipping on sweet tea, Carol leaned up against Daryl, sighing contentedly as he brought his arms around her.

“This was amazing, Daryl,” she said, looking up at him. “I love it when you get all romantic.” He smiled down at her, leaning in for a kiss. _Should I ask her yet?_

She leaned back against him, and he held her tightly against his chest, trying to figure out how to bring it up. Should he give some dramatic speech first? Should he keep it simple and just ask her? Should he hold the box while he knelt, or should he let her open it and then kneel? _Fuck, why they gotta make this shit so damn difficult?_

“So tell me, what was so special about today?” Carol asked suddenly. Daryl froze. “I mean, it’s not our anniversary yet, it’s not a special holiday, so what made you decide to do something special today?” _Guess it’s now or never, Dixon,_ he thought to himself, taking a deep breath before he replied.

“There might be somethin’ else,” he said quietly. Carol sat up then, turning around to face him.

“Okay. What is it?” she asked. He looked into her eyes, clear and blue and unwavering, and he realized that she had absolutely no idea what he was about to ask her. She was completely unsuspecting. _Let’s do this, Dixon_.

“Well,” he began nervously, and he cleared his throat in an attempt to calm his nerves. “I’ve been thinkin’. You ‘n me have been together almost nine years now, ‘n we’re livin’ together, ‘n… well… I love you, Carol. You’re the best thing that ever happened to me.”

Carol smiled at him, and he desperately willed himself not to get lost in those gorgeous blue eyes of hers. He took another deep breath, willing himself to continue.

“I love you so much, Carol,” he said, desperately trying to get the words out just right. “’N well, I’ve been thinkin’ that I wanna spend the rest of my life with ya.” He saw something spark in Carol’s eyes just then, and he knew she’d realized what was coming.

“Oh my God,” she whispered, so softly he could hardly hear her. He reached into his pocket with shaking hands, pulling out the little black box. Carol’s hand flew to her mouth as she gasped, and Daryl moved himself self-consciously so that he was kneeling on one knee on the blanket. He opened the box slowly, and he couldn’t help but notice the way the sunlight made the ring sparkle a little brighter than before.

“Will you marry me, Carol?”

Carol let out a quiet sob, and she covered her face in her hands as the tears came. Daryl sat there for a few moments, hearing all his worst fears come rushing back to him. _What if she says no? What if she’s cryin’ ‘cause she don’t wanna marry your dumbass? Fuck Dixon, maybe you’ve been readin’ this all wrong, maybe…_ He felt his brain stop working when she brought her hands down, her eyes filled with tears as she smiled radiantly at him. In that moment, as he stared into her smile, he knew in his heart he’d had nothing to be worried about.

“Yes,” she whispered softly, and Daryl felt himself let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. “Oh my God, Daryl, _yes_.” Her arms flew around him, and she sobbed into his shoulder. He hugged her back tightly, holding on for dear life and never wanting to let her go. She pulled back then, wiping her eyes delicately with her fingers. “Oh my God,” she said again, looking down at the ring. Daryl smiled at her as he removed it from the box, and he took her hand in his. He felt her hand shake as he held it, and he slid the ring slowly onto her finger. She was smiling so wide as she watched, and there were fresh tears already springing to her eyes.

“Daryl,” she whispered softly, staring down at the ring. “It’s beautiful.”

“’Course it is,” Daryl replied. “The most beautiful girl in the world deserves a beautiful ring.” Carol let out a small giggle, and she brought her eyes up to look at his.

“I love you,” she said.

“I love you, too.” She leaned in to kiss him again, and he threaded his fingers through her curly hair. She broke the kiss with a smile, resting her forehead against his.

“Oh my God, we’re getting married,” she said.

“We’re gettin’ married,” he repeated, hardly daring to believe that it could actually be true.

“I have to tell Michonne,” she said excitedly. “I have to tell my _parents_ , oh my God, they’re going to be so happy.” He smiled at that.

“Are _you_ happy?” he asked quietly.

“Daryl,” she said softly, bringing her hand to rest against his cheek. “Of course I’m happy. I love you. And I want to spend my life with you. How could you even ask me that?” He smiled at that. He still had no idea how someone as utterly perfect as Carol could ever want to marry someone like him, and he hoped to God that he could be the man she believed he could be.

They sat there together even after they drank all the sweet tea and ate all the pretzels, talking about love and weddings and everything in between, and the entire time all that Daryl could focus on was the fact Carol, his sweet, beautiful, _perfect_ Carol, was going to be his wife. And there was absolutely no way that he could ever be happier.


	7. Chapter 7

"Tell me you gave him the best sex of his life last night."

Carol aimed a kick at Tara's leg under the table. She'd gone out to dinner with Tara, Michonne, and Maggie the following night to tell them the good news. They'd of course drilled her with questions about how he's proposed, and they all swooned over how romantic the whole thing had been. Tara, of course, was more focused on the events of the evening afterward. 

"What?" Tara asked innocently while Carol tried her best not to look amused. 

"What happens in our bedroom is none of your concern," she said, trying not to laugh. 

"I'm just looking out for poor Daryl, here. Making sure he's taken care of," Tara said with a shrug. 

"Well, he was very well taken care of last night, I can promise you that," Carol said matter-of-factly. Michonne and Maggie burst into a fit of giggles. She hesitated for a moment before adding, "Multiple times." The giggles from her friends grew louder and Tara held out a hand to Carol for a fist-bump. 

"Nice," she said appreciatively. 

“Okay, enough about all that,” Carol said quickly. “You know you’re all going to be in the wedding, right?”

“Oooh, dibs on being flower girl!” Tara said excitedly.

“Uh, I was going to make you all bridesmaids…” Carol said slowly.

“No, no, I want my own fancy dress, and I want to throw flower petals at everyone! I always wanted to be a flower girl! Please, Carol, please?” Tara looked at her eagerly as she begged.

“Um, okay. You’re still a bridesmaid,” Carol said hesitantly. “But I suppose after the wedding ceremony you can do whatever you want with your flowers.”

“Yes!” Tara exclaimed, pumping her fist in the air. “This is gonna be awesome! I need to get a shit-ton of flowers, so I can throw them at people!”

Carol sighed, rubbing her temples in slow, soothing circles. “Oh God, okay. Okay. Maggie? Michonne? Are you guys in?”

“You know I am,” Maggie said with a smile.

“Hell yeah,” Michonne said. “I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

“You guys are the best,” Carol said with a smile.

After dinner was over and they all made their way to their respective cars, Carol stayed close to Michonne.

“Hey, so I actually wanted to talk to you for a second,” Carol said.

“Yes,” Michonne replied.

“Uh – what?”

“Yes,” she said simply. “Of course I’ll be your maid of honor.”

“What – how did you know that’s what I was going to ask you?” Carol asked in bewilderment.

“I’m your best friend for a reason, Carol,” Michonne replied. “I know these things.”

“Imagine if that wasn’t what I was actually going to ask you,” Carol said with a grin.

“Then this conversation would’ve gotten real awkward, real fast,” Michonne replied with a laugh. “Okay but seriously, that’s what you were going to ask me – right?”

“Of course,” Carol said brightly, giving her friend a hug. “Who else would I ask?”

“I don’t know. Merle?” Michonne asked, and they both burst into a fit of giggles.

“Okay but seriously, Daryl’s having a really hard time with that one,” Carol said, sobering quickly. “He hasn’t even told him about the wedding yet.”

“Why not?” Michonne asked.

“He can’t decide who he wants as his best man.”

“Oh,” Michonne said, understanding easily. “He’s got his brother and his best friend.”

“Right,” Carol said. “But Rick is like another brother to Daryl, you know that. But he’s afraid that if he chooses Rick, then Merle will get mad about it, and he doesn’t want to ruin their relationship after working so hard to get themselves where they are right now.”

Michonne nodded slowly. “He’ll figure it out,” she said. “It won’t happen overnight, but he’s a smart guy, that Daryl. He’ll find a way to make it all work.”

“You’re right. Thanks, Mich,” Carol said.

“It’s what I’m here for,” she said with a shrug. “Now go, get your ass home to your fiancé.”

“Oh my God,” Carol said, hearing the word said out loud for the first time. “Daryl’s my _fiancé._ ”

“You’ll get used to it,” Michonne assured her. “It’s when he becomes your _husband_ that you’ll really have to take the time to get used to it.”

“Stop,” Carol said. “Everything’s happening so fast.”

“Oh, you’ll be fine,” Michonne assured her. “And you know we’ll be here to help you the whole way.”

Carol sighed. “Thanks, Mich.”

*****

Monday morning dawned bright and early, and Carol was back in the teachers’ lounge making her copies for the week before she knew it. As she stood listening to the rhythmic sound of the copy machine, she couldn’t help but admire her left hand as it rested against the machine. The diamond was bigger than anything she could’ve expected, not that she’d been expecting anything at all, but it was still nicer than she would have thought it would be. He must have spent months saving up for a ring that nice, and Carol couldn’t even begin to wrap her mind around that patience he must have shown, saving up enough to buy her the most beautiful ring he could afford. The thought of it made her fall in love with him a little more.

She hardly noticed the door to the lounge as it banged open.

“Good morning there, Carol.” She turned quickly, bringing her hand down to her side.

“Hello, Ed,” she replied evenly.

“You’re looking especially nice today,” he told her with a smile. “Blue is definitely your color.” Carol tried not to let herself blush at the compliment.

“Um, thank you,” she said stiffly.

“Have a nice weekend?” he asked as he moved to the coffee pot.

“I did,” she replied, wishing her copies would hurry up.

“Do anything fun?” he asked, stirring a few packets of sugar into his cup.

“Actually, I got engaged on Saturday,” she said with a small smile.

“No kidding? You and Dixon, huh?”

“Uh, yeah. Daryl and me,” she said, running a hand nervously through her curly hair. _What the hell is taking this copy machine so damn long?_

“Well, congratulations to you,” he said, taking a sip of coffee. “I’m sure he’ll make you happy.”

“He’s always made me happy.” _Unlike you_ , she wanted to add, but she bit her tongue.

“Hmm,” Ed said, taking a long sip of coffee. “You know, it’s a shame. Pretty girl like you settling down with the likes of Dixon.”

Carol felt her blood run cold. “Excuse me?” she asked icily.

“I mean, with looks like yours, you could’ve easily had any man you wanted. Hell, you could’ve had _me_.” He chuckled softly. “Too bad you were always so set on hating me.”

“You were the one telling people I had diseases, if I remember correctly,” she replied, pouring every ounce of malice that she could into her words.

“Of course I was,” Ed said simply. “It was my way of eliminating the competition. If nobody else liked you, then I could be the one to swoop in and win you over.” Carol stared at him in stunned silence. “Too bad Dixon didn’t get the hint,” he sighed.

“Too bad he didn’t break your damn nose,” she hissed.

“Ouch,” Ed said dramatically. “You know, you always were a feisty one. Guess it’s why I always liked you so much.” He started to move slowly towards her, and Carol froze. _What was he doing?_

“Pretty girl like you who’s got a little spirit in her?” he drawled as he moved to stand in front of her, leaning casually against the copy machine. In her rage, Carol hadn’t even noticed that it had finished printing her copies. “Who wouldn’t fall head over heels for you?”

“You’re disgusting,” Carol said purposefully, grabbing her copies. “And creepy. Have a nice day, Ed.” She stormed past him, heading for the door.

“You know, I hate to see you go, darling, but I am _loving_ that I get to watch you leave right now.” Carol turned back, and realized that Ed’s eyes were glued to her ass.

“Ew, gross,” she said, wrinkling her nose in disgust. “Go to hell, Ed.”

She didn’t even bother to stick around and hear him snickering like an oversized idiot. No, make that an oversized, _disgusting_ idiot. She gave herself a small shake once she was back inside her classroom. She organized all her papers, her mind reeling. He was such a pig. He knew that she was engaged to Daryl, and yet he was still openly trying to flirt with her. It made her sick. Just as she thought she might punch something, she felt her phone begin to vibrate. She glanced at it, and a picture of Daryl’s smiling face lit up on her screen. She sighed, feeling a wave of calm wash over her. How was it that he always seemed to call right when she needed him to?

“Hey,” she said, answering the phone.

“Hey beautiful,” he replied, and she felt her heart flutter in her chest. One moment she was ready to punch Ed in the face, and the next she was melting into a puddle of mush just at the sound of Daryl’s voice. “I was just thinkin’ ‘bout you.”

“You were?” she asked, toying with a lock of her hair.

“’Course I was, I‘m always thinkin’ ‘bout you.”

“Aww, Pookie,” she said. “You’re the sweetest.”

“Damn right, I am,” he replied. A beat. “Everythin’ okay?”

_Damn._ How was it that he always knew when something was bothering her?

“I’m fine,” she assured him. “I just ran into Ed, and seeing him again kind of makes my skin crawl.”

“Peletier?” he asked gruffly. “That asshole botherin’ ya?”

For a moment she almost told him the truth. She almost told him exactly what Ed had said to her, but she stopped herself. She knew that if she told him he’d be there in a heartbeat, rushing into the school to find Ed Peletier and beat him senseless. And she never wanted to see that side of him again.

“No, Daryl, he’s fine. It just still creeps me out, seeing his face again after all these years. You know what I mean?”

“Yeah,” he said. “Yeah, I know what ya mean. ‘N I’m serious Carol, he bothers ya at all, says anythin’ to upset ya, you send his ugly ass to me. I’ll make sure he never bothers ya again.”

Carol sighed. “I know,” she said quietly. “I’m sure I’ll be fine, Daryl. Okay? Don’t worry about me.”

“I’ll always worry ‘bout ya,” he replied. “I love ya.”

Carol smiled. It was amazing how a man of so few words always knew just what to say to put a smile on her face. “I know,” she said. “I love you, too.”

“Have a good day, alright?” he said. “I miss ya.”

“You literally just saw me less than an hour ago,” she said with a laugh.

“Well, that’s an hour I’ll never get back,” he said. She smiled.

“I love you, Daryl,” she said softly.

“I love ya, too,” he replied. “I’ll see ya tonight, okay?”

Carol glanced down at her ring, admiring the beautiful diamond and thinking just how lucky she was to have Daryl in her life. “Okay,” she said. “See you tonight. Love you.”

“Love you, too.”

She hung up the phone, a warm feeling coursing through her veins. It was amazing how quickly her mood could change just from the sound of his voice. One phone call from him, and whatever rage had built up inside her evaporated into thin air. She still wasn’t sure what she’d done in her life to deserve a man as wonderful as Daryl, but she knew deep down that he was the only man she would ever need, and the only man she would ever truly love. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Of course Ed had to be up to something! Hehe, hope you all enjoyed this chapter! :)


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I've got a lot going on this week, but here's a short little update for now! Enjoy! :)

Planning a wedding was a lot of work. Carol had set dates to go dress shopping with her bridesmaids, and she had also set aside an entirely different day to go shopping for a dress for herself. Now the main obstacle she faced was figuring out what Daryl would wear. 

"I ain't wearin' no damn bow tie," he scoffed in disgust. "Hell, I don't even wanna wear a normal tie." 

"You're at least wearing a tie," Carol told him firmly. They were seated together on the couch, her legs draped comfortably over his as they sipped on some sweet iced tea. "Rick wore a full tux at his wedding, so you can at least wear a tie. At least give me that much."

Daryl sighed heavily. "Why can't I just show up in jeans?" he whined. 

"I'm going to walk in wearing a gorgeous white dress and you want to be wearing  _jeans_?" She laughed at him. "Pookie, you'll be a highly underdressed groom."

"Pfft, we already know you'll look better than me anyway," he said. "Ya always do." She looked over at him. 

"Aw, Pookie," she said, leaning in to give him a gentle peck on the lips. "You know how handsome I think you are. Especially when you're all dressed up." She batted her eyelashes at him a few times, and she giggled when he tried not to roll his eyes. 

"Alright, I'll wear a regular suit 'n tie for ya," he said gruffly. "But that's as far as I'm willin' to go." 

"Okay," she said. "You'll still look handsome, Pookie." 

"Stop." 

She giggled, snuggling up against his shoulder. He tightened his arm around her, leaning in for a tender kiss. 

"You good?" he asked, bringing his forehead to rest against hers. "Feel like there's somethin' ya ain't been tellin' me lately. Got somethin' on your mind?" 

Carol sighed inwardly. She hadn't wanted to mention anything about Ed Peletier to Daryl at all, but she probably should've known better than that. Daryl could read her as easily as a page out of his favorite book, and he knew her better than even she knew herself. He could always tell whenever something was bothering her, and she'd been foolish to think this time could be any different. She brought her blue eyes to his, seeing nothing there but concern for her. It absolutely melted her heart to see how much he cared and worried about her, and for what felt like the millionth time in the last nine years, she wondered how she'd gotten so lucky. 

"Okay. Promise me you won't freak out," she said slowly. Daryl sat up a little straighter, eyes fixed intently on her. 

"I'm listenin'," he said softly. She sighed again. 

"Okay. So you know how I told you that I see Ed Peletier at work sometimes?" She felt Daryl bristle at the sound of Ed's name, and she saw a hint of anger flash in his eyes. 

"Yeah," he said gruffly, his eyes narrowed into slits. 

"Well, I saw him this past Monday," Carol said. "And well, he said a few things that I just... really wish he hadn't, that's all." 

"What'd he say?" Daryl growled. Carol hadn't seen him this angry in a very long time. 

"Well, for one thing he said some awful things about you, and how he... he thinks I deserve someone better." Daryl nodded slowly. 

"That ain't all that surprisin'," he mumbled. "But he said somethin' else too, didn't he? This is botherin’ ya too much for it to be just ‘cause of that." Carol looked into his gentle blue eyes and knew she couldn't lie to him. For as much anger and hatred that Daryl felt towards Ed Peletier, she knew he felt at least ten times that amount of love for her. 

"He... he kind of started hitting on me," she said, shifting gently on the couch. "Apparently he really likes me. Thinks I'm pretty. And he was sort of checking out my ass." She looked into his eyes in the silence that followed, desperately trying to gauge his reaction. "Daryl?" Silence. "Daryl, say something." 

"Ed fuckin' Peletier likes ya," he said flatly. It wasn't a question, but Carol nodded anyway. "Fuckin' Peletier," he grumbled angrily. "I swear to God, he makes any move, lays a fuckin' hand on ya, I'll kill him." 

"He won't," Carol said quickly. 

"How the fuck do you know that? He's a fuckin' psycho!" Daryl was so angry by now, he was actually shaking. 

"Hey, look at me," she said, taking his face in her hands and forcing his eyes to come up and meet hers. She could see the pain clearly written across his face, and she took a deep breath before replying. 

"If he does anything at all, I'm going straight to Dale," she said steadily. "Ed will get fired, and that'll be the end of it. But hopefully it won't even have to come to that."

"Why wouldn't it though? Ya know what kinda sicko Peletier is. He loves makin' other people suffer." Carol sighed. She and Daryl knew only too well what it was like once Ed Peletier decided to make you suffer. 

"I know that, Daryl. But I also told him that I'm in love with you, and then I told him to go to hell."

Daryl perked up a bit at that. "Ya did?" 

"Of course I did," she said with a smile. "I love you, Daryl. And we're going to get married and spend the rest of our lives together. No matter what Ed Peletier or anybody else says. Okay?" 

Daryl smiled at her. "Okay." She didn't actually believe for a second that she'd seen the end of Ed Peletier, but her words seemed to have calmed Daryl down, and at least now she didn't feel bad about keeping things from him. They'd never lied or kept things from each other throughout their entire relationship, and Carol sure as hell didn't want to start now. Especially not now that they were going to be married. 

Thinking of the wedding made Carol smile to herself as she leaned into Daryl for a kiss. 

"What?" he asked, feeling her smile against his lips. 

Carol grinned at him. "I'm just really excited that you've got another excuse to wear a tie, Pookie." 

Daryl groaned audibly as Carol giggled into his shoulder. "You're lucky I love ya."

"I love you too, Pookie." 


	9. Chapter 9

They set a date in May. Carol was so excited she actually sat down for twenty minutes writing out a full countdown to the day of her wedding on her calendar. They’d picked a cute little church in town that Carol had always admired, and the soft-spoken Father Gabriel seemed more than excited to perform the wedding ceremony for them.

She kept the decorations and theme simple, using only Cherokee roses tied together with purple ribbon that matched the bridesmaids’ dresses. She didn’t want to go too crazy with wedding plans – she just wanted the entire day to run smoothly and be an enjoyable and memorable day for everyone involved, especially for herself and Daryl.

The main issue they struggled with now was deciding on where they would go for the honeymoon.

“How ‘bout Maui?” Daryl asked, scrolling through pages of the top 100 honeymoon destinations on his laptop. “Always wanted to go to Hawaii.”

“That’s bound to be expensive,” Carol said slowly. “I don’t want to break the bank here, Daryl. Why don’t we just go to the coast?”

“We’ll go wherever the hell ya wanna go, I don’t give a damn how much it costs,” Daryl said firmly.

“Daryl,” she said.

“Carol.” He brought his gaze to rest on hers, and she could see in his eyes that he wasn’t about to budge on this. “Wherever ya wanna go, that’s where we’ll go. Okay?”

Carol smiled softly at him. “Okay,” she replied quietly. He moved closer to her, wrapping his arms loosely around her waist and pressing a gentle kiss to the tip of her nose. She crinkled her nose as she giggled, the way she always did. It was one of her little habitual quirks that Daryl had come to love over the years. He kissed her lips then, his hands moving down to her waist and still moving lower. Carol sighed and leaned into him, her fingers tangling in his hair as her tongue darted out to meet his. As his hands started travelling back up her body, skimming over her stomach and up to cup her breast, she moaned softly into his mouth. He definitely liked where this was going.

Until a knock on the door startled them both back to reality.

“ _Fuck_ ,” Daryl hissed angrily. Carol sighed in frustration.

“Were you expecting anyone?” she asked, breathing heavily.

“Hell no, and I’m gonna kill whoever the fuck that is,” Daryl grunted angrily.

“Baby brother!” came a loud yell followed by more banging on the door. “C’mon, open up!”

“Oh, what the fuck,” Daryl grumbled angrily, pulling away from Carol and stomping over to the front door.

“Hey there, Darylina!” Merle said excitedly when the door opened. “What up? We ain’t talked all week, figured I’d swing by ‘n say hello! Ya ain’t busy, are ya? I brought dinner.” He held up a bag of what looked like fried chicken from the takeout place down the street with a broad smile. Daryl huffed out a heavy sigh.

“Nah, ‘course not. Come on in, Merle.” Merle came bustling inside, and Daryl closed the door resentfully as his brother headed into the kitchen.

“Hey there, lil darlin’,” Merle boomed, plopping the bag of food down on the table. “Long time, no see.”

“Hey Merle,” Carol said with a friendly smile. “You didn’t have to bring dinner you know, I was just about to make us something.”

“Nah, ya cook too much fer that lil brother ‘a mine anyway,” Merle replied. “Figured ya could use a break.”

“Well, thank you very much, Merle,” Carol said sweetly.

“Ain’t no problem, darlin’,” Merle replied, plopping himself down at the table. “Now, what’s all this?” he asked, pulling the abandoned laptop towards himself. “Top 100 honeymoon destinations? Who the fuck’s goin’ on a honeymoon now?”

Carol and Daryl glanced at each other quickly. Daryl still hadn’t mentioned anything about the wedding to his brother, not even knowing how to bring it up. Merle glanced between the two of them in the awkward silence, and after a few moments it seemed to click in his head.

“Holy shit,” he said slowly. “Holy fuckin’ shit. Ya didn’t.” Daryl sighed softly, coming to sit beside his brother.

“Baby brother, ya didn’t go ‘n get engaged now, did ya?” Daryl closed his eyes, nodding slowly.

“Yeah, we did,” he replied quietly.

Merle whistled softly. “Well now, why the hell didn’t ya tell me? Congratu-fuckin-lations!”

“Thanks, Merle,” Daryl said quietly, running his hand awkwardly through his hair.

“Did y’all pick a date ‘n shit yet?” Merle asked.

“It’s going to be in May,” Carol replied. “We’re planning on sending out the invitations sometime in the next few weeks.”

“’N I’m invited, right?” Merle asked.

“Of course you’re invited!” Carol said with a small laugh. “We were actually kind of hoping that maybe you’d be in the wedding party.” Daryl sighed as she said it, shifting uncomfortably. He still wanted to ask Rick to be his best man, but he couldn’t just bypass his own brother like that. Merle was blood, and in Dixon terms that blood ran thicker than any friendship ever could.

“Weddin’ party?” Merle hollered. “Shit bro, y’all don’t expect me to dress up now, do ya?” Daryl smiled at that. Apparently it ran in the family that Dixon men did not enjoy dressing up.

“Hell yeah, you gotta dress up,” Daryl replied. “Suit ‘n tie.”

“Hell bro, the shit I do fer ya,” Merle sighed. Then his eyes widened as something occurred to him. “Fuck, ya didn’t expect me to be best man or nothin’ right? Just in the weddin’ party?” Daryl felt his breath catch in his throat and he glanced over at Carol. She seemed to be holding her breath as well.

“I dunno yet,” Daryl said slowly. “Ain’t picked my best man yet. Why, did ya wanna…?”

“Hell no,” Merle cut him off. “I ain’t built fer that kinda shit. Bad enough I already gotta dress up fer this shit.” Daryl let out a deep breath, feeling like a giant Merle-sized weight had been lifted off his chest. “’Sides, ain’t that what ya got Rick Grimes for? You were his best man, weren’t ya?”

Daryl grinned at his brother. “Yeah, I was. ‘N I was thinkin’ ‘bout askin’ Rick,” he replied. “Would you be okay if I did?”

“Hell yeah I would,” Merle said, slapping his brother enthusiastically on the back. “Rick’s yer best friend, ‘n he’d sure as fuck make a better best man than me.” Daryl smiled widely at his brother. He couldn’t remember the last time Merle had ever said anything that made him this happy.

“That’s settled, then,” Daryl said. “I’ll talk to Rick this week. But your ass is still in the damn wedding party, ‘n I don’t wanna hear no complaints.” Merle sighed dramatically.

“Alright, alright, don’t get yer damn panties in a twist. I’ll be in the damn party for ya.”

Daryl grinned. “You’re the best, Merle. Ya know that?”

Merle barked out a laugh. “Damn right I am. Come on now, this chicken ain’t gonna eat itself.”

They all tucked in to the fried chicken Merle had brought, talking over wedding details and honeymoon options. Daryl couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so light and carefree. He’d finally settled on who would be his best man, and the last of their wedding party was finally secured. Everything was going smoothly with wedding preparations so far, and Daryl absolutely could not wait for the day that Carol would finally become his wife.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Question: Where would you guys like to see Caryl go for their honeymoon?? I want to hear all your suggestions!! :)


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much to everyone who sent me their ideas for Caryl's honeymoon destination! I got a lot of similar requests, so I did a little research and finally found the perfect place for them. Hope you all like it! :)

“I’ve got it!”

Carol turned to see Daryl run anxiously into the room, his laptop open in his hands. He plopped down on the couch beside her, turning the laptop screen so that she could see.

“The North Georgia Mountains,” she read from the screen. “For the honeymoon?”

“Yeah! Look, they got cabins up for rent, ‘n I found a great one that’s near a lake ‘n it’ll be nice ‘n quiet. Think about it – just you ‘n me, alone in the mountains. We can go hikin’, or canoein’ in the lake…”

“Or we could just stay naked inside the cabin all day,” Carol replied with a grin.

“Exactly!” Daryl said excitedly. He was smiling so wide, he looked like a kid at Christmas. “C’mon Carol, it’s perfect!”

Carol thought about it, scrolling slowly through the pictures on Daryl’s laptop. It did look like it would be the perfect place for their honeymoon.

“Looks like we have a winner,” she replied with a smile, handing the laptop back to Daryl. “I like it.”

“Do ya really?” he asked excitedly. “’Cause if ya wanted we could go to Hawaii or somethin’, I found somethin’ cheap there too if ya wanted the beach.”

Carol shook her head. “I don’t need the beach,” she said. “I think an isolated cabin in the mountains with no one to talk to but you sounds absolutely perfect.” He grinned that crooked little grin of his, and she leaned in for a kiss.

“Don’ think we’ll be doin’ much talkin’,” he growled.

“Hmm, I certainly hope not,” Carol whispered seductively, nipping gently at his ear. “I can think of plenty of other things I could use my mouth for, Daryl Dixon.”

“Oh God,” Daryl grunted, and Carol noticed with satisfaction the way that something was very clearly stirring in his pants. “C’mere,” he groaned, shoving the laptop unceremoniously onto the coffee table as he pulled Carol into his lap. She gave him a heated kiss as she straddled him, her fingers coming up to tangle themselves in his hair.

“You know, you have to meet Rick in ten minutes,” she told him, breathing heavily as his hands roamed over her ass and hips.

“Rick can fuckin’ wait,” he growled, pulling her shirt roughly over her head. “’Sides, I can be done in less than ten minutes.”

“Oh, really?” she panted, wrenching his pants open. “I think I’m going to need some proof to back up that statement. Can you prove it to me?” She squealed when he flipped her on her back, opening her pants and yanking them down her legs, exposing her to him.

“Think I can do that,” he said with a grin, pulling his own pants off. He took himself in his hand as he leaned into kiss her, guiding himself so that he was barely teasing at her entrance. “Christ, Carol,” he groaned, feeling how wet she already was. “We just got fuckin’ started.”

“What can I say, you do some crazy things to me, Daryl Dixon,” she panted, grinning devilishly up at him. He groaned low in his throat as he pushed inside her, giving her a moment to adjust her position on the couch to accommodate his fullness. He thrust into her slowly at first, quickening his pace gradually. He was on a deadline after all, and he was determined to make her scream his name in ten minutes or less.

She met him thrust for thrust, panting out his name against his lips. When he felt her walls begin to flutter around him he knew she was close, and he wasn’t far behind. A few more thrusts sent her spiraling over the edge, her climax triggering his. He groaned out her name against her neck, clamping his eyes shut as a wave of pure bliss washed over him. His whole life he’d never been with anyone but her, and yet every time with her seemed to be better than the last. She was everything he’d ever need in his life, and he’d never get enough of her.

They came down from their highs together, both of them breathing heavily.

“So,” he gasped. “How long was that?” Carol glanced over at the clock on the wall, and laughed to herself.

“Nine minutes,” she panted, laughing against his shoulder.

“See? I told ya,” he said, grinning wickedly at her. With a final kiss that had those feelings stirring somewhere deep in Carol’s belly all over again, he pulled himself up off of her.

“That’s the last time I don’t listen to you,” she replied, reaching for her clothes. By the time she was fully dressed, he already had his boots on and was ready to leave.

“I shouldn’t be too late,” he mumbled, glancing at the clock. “Rick ain’t ever on time, anyway.”

“You’ll be fine,” Carol said, running her fingers through his hair in an attempt to make it lie flat. “And don’t be nervous. He’s your best friend, you know he’s going to say yes.”

Daryl sighed, pulling her in for a tight hug. “I know,” he said, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “How’d ya know I was nervous?”

“I can just tell,” Carol replied with a shrug. “It’s in your eyes.” He smiled at that, kissing her softly.

“I’ll see ya later, alright? ‘N tonight we’ll make it last a ‘lil longer than nine minutes, huh?”

Carol giggled at that. “Can’t wait,” she told him. She leaned in for one more kiss. “See you tonight, Pookie. I love you.”

“I love ya, too,” he told her, heading outside to his truck. She watched him leave, missing him already. It was silly she told herself, but she couldn’t help it. Any minute she didn’t spend with him was a minute wasted in her eyes, and already couldn’t wait for him to come back home.

*****

Daryl sighed heavily to himself, slamming his driver's side door shut as he made his way into the little town diner. He noticed Rick's sheriff's car parked a few spaces over, and he felt himself relax slightly knowing that at least Rick wouldn't keep him waiting. At least he'd be able to get this all over with. 

He entered the diner glancing around. Rick was seated at a quiet booth towards the back, already sipping on a mug of coffee. He waved when he saw Daryl, and Daryl made his way over to sit across from him. 

"Hey, man. Nice hair. Guess now I know why you're late." Rick grinned knowingly at him, and Daryl felt himself blush as he desperately tried to flatten his hair. 

"Don't know what you're talkin' 'bout," he grumbled awkwardly. 

"I bet if Carol were here she'd have the same messy hair too, wouldn't she?" he asked. Daryl glared at him. 

"Shut up," he grumbled and Rick laughed. 

"Relax man, I'm just teasing. Anyway. What was so important that we needed to meet in person to talk about it?" 

Daryl opened his mouth to reply but at that moment their waitress, whose nametag read Amy, came over to their table to take Daryl's order. He quickly mumbled out an order of coffee and a burger and Amy sauntered off, smacking her gum as she went. 

"So?" Rick asked intently, staring at Daryl over the rim of his coffee cup. "What's up?" 

Daryl sighed before speaking. "So, Carol 'n I have been plannin' the wedding 'n whatnot, 'n I realized there was one thing I ain't done yet." 

Rick stared at him expectantly. "Yes?" 

"I ain't picked a best man." 

Rick smiled then, letting out a hard laugh. "Jesus Christ Daryl, I thought it was going to be something bigger than that, what with the way you were freaking out," he managed to say between laughs. 

"Shut up, man, I freak out over everythin'," Daryl grumbled self-consciously. 

"I know man, I know," Rick said, chuckling softly now. "And of course I'll be your best man. Why would I ever say no to that?" 

Daryl shrugged with a small grin, feeling as if a huge weight has been lifted from his chest. "I don't know. It's just real nerve-wrackin', you know? Plannin' a wedding 'n whatnot." 

"Believe me man, I know. Been there, done that. But let me tell you, once the wedding's over and you're off on the honeymoon, it'll all be worth it," Rick said knowingly, taking a sip of his coffee. "Speaking of which, have you two decided on where you're going?" 

"North Georgia Mountains," Daryl replied. "Gonna rent us a cabin up there, 'n it's by a lake. Nice 'n quiet." 

Rick nodded silently. "That'll be great for you two. I mean, Paris was great and I think you two should go at some point, but I think you'll both be happier alone together in an isolated area for your honeymoon." 

"That's exactly what I thought," Daryl said. 

Rick took another sip of his coffee, thinking for a moment. "It's getting close now," he said thoughtfully. "You two getting nervous yet?" 

Daryl shrugged. "Not really," he grumbled. "I mean, it's me 'n Carol. We knew it'd happen eventually, 'n now that it's finally happenin' I guess we're both just excited." 

"Yeah, but I know you," Rick replied. "You're going to get really nervous right before the wedding, I guarantee you."

"Shut up, man," Daryl said, just as Amy brought over two large plates with cheeseburgers and french fries. 

"No, seriously," Rick said, biting into a french fry. "You're going to get nervous and second guess yourself all over nothing, and as your best man I will be the first to tell you how ridiculous you're being because Carol loves you. You guys are perfect for each other." 

Daryl sighed, poking at his burger. "I know," he mumbled. "It's just... I still don't get how a guy like me gets a girl like her." 

Rick sighed dramatically. "Here we go again," he said. 

"No, I'm serious," Daryl said anxiously. "Do ya have any idea what it's like thinkin' that one day the girl of your dreams is gonna wake up 'n realize what a redneck piece 'a trash ya are and leave ya?" 

"Daryl," Rick sighed heavily. "Do you even know Carol at all? There is absolutely no chance of that happening." 

Daryl sighed now too. "I know she wouldn't," he said softly. "But I can't get it outta my head. 'N now that she's workin' with that asshole, 'n he keeps hittin' on her, I can't stop thinkin'--" 

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, back up there a second," Rick cut him off. "Who's hitting on Carol?" 

"Ed fuckin' Peletier," Daryl grumbled angrily. 

"Stop," Rick said. "Seriously? After he was such a dick to her in high school? Is he crazy?" 

"Apparently," Daryl replied sullenly. "Thinks he'd be better for her than me." 

"That's the biggest load of crap I've ever heard, and if you believe it for even a second then you're the biggest idiot I've ever met," Rick said heatedly. "You can't honestly think that Carol would be better off with Ed Peletier?" 

"Hell fuckin' no," Daryl said quickly. "I'd kill him before he even got close to her." 

Rick smiled at that. "Good. And speaking as the sheriff of this town, I'm telling you that I wouldn't even arrest you for it if you did kill him."

"Don't tempt me," Daryl muttered and Rick laughed. 

"Seriously though, you and Carol are perfect together. You both love each other, you're going to get married, and then you'll live happily ever after like it's a damn romance novel. Alright?" 

Daryl grinned sheepishly at him. "I know. Guess I just need to hear someone else say it sometimes. Thanks, Rick." 

"That's what I'm here for, man." 


	11. Chapter 11

With the wedding plans pretty much finalized and the date of the wedding drawing closer with each passing day, Carol could hardly contain her excitement. Her bridesmaids had their dresses and shoes all settled and they were all excited about getting manicures and seeing hair and make-up stylists. They were also excitedly planning her a bachelorette party.

“Oooh, Tara, what was the place you got the strippers from for my bachelorette party? I want another cowboy,” Michonne said excitedly. Carol had taken all of her closest friends out for dinner, and they were anxiously discussing their bachelorette plans.

“Absolutely not,” Carol said firmly. “No strippers.”

“What the hell kind of bachelorette party doesn’t have strippers?” Tara asked incredulously.

“Mine didn’t,” Maggie replied idly. She’d been the first of them to get married after college, and she and Glenn had kept their wedding very simple. In fact, Glenn hadn’t even had a bachelor party at all, and Maggie’s bachelorette had consisted of several bottles of wine and romantic comedies on the floor of her living room.

“Yeah but let’s be serious here, Michonne’s bachelorette party was _way_ better,” Tara replied, taking a sip of wine. “And that was entirely because there were strippers and a shit-ton of booze.”

“It was a great party,” Michonne agreed. “But I think, since this is Carol’s party, maybe we should let Carol decide what we do.”

“Thank you, Mich,” Carol said pointedly, sipping from her glass of wine. “I’ve actually been thinking about it, and I thought since the wedding’s on a Sunday, maybe we should do it that Friday.”

“Friday’s good,” Michonne agreed. “What did you want to do?”

“I want to go to a spa.”

“The fuck kind of bachelorette party is that?” Tara shrieked.

“I don’t want a party,” Carol shrugged. “And I definitely don’t want any strippers. I just want one day of relaxation and herbal scrubs and face masks and massages with my three best friends. That’s all I want.”

“This is going to be one seriously lame bachelorette party,” Tara grumbled sourly.

“I think it sounds good,” Maggie piped up. “Trust me, you’ll need to take some time to relax before the wedding.” Michonne nodded knowingly.

“That’s what I figured,” Carol agreed. “So it’s settled, then? Friday before the wedding we’re all hitting the spa?”

“I’m in,” Michonne agreed.

“Definitely,” Maggie said.

They all looked over at Tara and she heaved a heavy sigh. “Alright, fine,” she said sadly. “No strippers.”

*****

The following day, Carol’s first few classes went by smoothly. Aside from the typical few students who didn’t complete their assigned reading she didn’t encounter any issues, and by the time lunch rolled around she was feeling unusually calm for an ordinary school day. She decided to eat her ham and cheese sandwich in her own classroom, purposefully steering clear of the teacher’s lounge. Not only did she have plenty of papers to grade, but she also didn’t want to run the risk of running into Ed Peletier. Ever since he’d tried hitting on her that one day, she’d been trying to avoid him at all costs. Luckily, so far, it had been working.

She took a sip from her bottle of sweet tea as she made a few notes in the margins of a student’s paper. She was so engrossed in her papers that she nearly jumped a foot in the air when someone knocked loudly on her classroom door.

“Hey, beautiful.”

“Daryl!” she exclaimed, rushing across the classroom to wrap him in a tight hug. “What are you doing here?”

“Wanted to come surprise ya,” he said with a smile. “’N I brought ya somethin’ to decorate your classroom with.” He held a small vase with some Cherokee roses in it.

“Daryl,” she said with a smile. “They’re beautiful. Thank you.” She leaned in to give him a kiss. She took them gently from him, arranging them in a corner of her desk so that she would be able to see them but her students wouldn’t. Somehow a few of the seniors had figured out that she had a boyfriend earlier that school year, and the last thing those students needed was a reminder of their English teacher’s mystery man. As it was they’d already asked her enough intrusive questions the day they’d first noticed the diamond ring glittering on her left hand. She certainly didn’t want to have to answer any more questions like that in her classroom ever again.

As she came back around the desk, she wrapped her arms around his neck again. “Hmm, I missed you,” she said, melting easily into his embrace.

“Missed ya, too. Wasn’t gonna be able to wait ‘til dinner tonight.”

“Well, today I’m actually glad that you’re impatient,” she said with a smile. He grinned at her, leaning in for another kiss.

“Daryl Dixon.”

The voice startled them both, and they turned quickly to face the door.

“Ed,” Carol said coolly, stepping out of Daryl’s arms.

“Well now, eight years sure did you good, Dixon,” Ed said, his cold, narrowed eyes fixed on Daryl. “Hell, you’re only about half as ugly as you were back in high school.”

“You best watch your mouth, Peletier. You’re even uglier now than ya were back then, ‘n I’d have no problem bustin’ your ass again.”

“Oh, is that how you remember it? _You_ busted _my_ ass? Heh, that’s funny. ‘Cause I seem to remember busting your scrawny ass on several different occasions,” Ed sneered.

“Alright, that’s enough,” Carol said, coming to stand in front of Daryl before he could launch himself at Ed and do anything stupid. “Ed, get the hell out of my classroom.”

“Oh, of course. Whatever you say, gorgeous. I’ll be seeing you later, hmm?” He winked seductively at her, turning and leaving the room. “You best be careful there, Dixon. You got yourself a real fine woman there. I’d hate to see someone try to… _steal her from you_.” With a final wink at Carol, Ed turned and strolled out of the room.

“Get back here, ya son of a bitch! Get back here! I’ll kill ya!” Daryl lurched forward angrily, desperately trying to get at Ed but Carol held him back, her hands holding his chest firmly as he struggled against her.

“Daryl. _Daryl!_ Hey. Look at me. Look at me, Daryl, talk to me!” She pleaded anxiously with him, her hands coming up to hold either side of his face. “Daryl, it’s okay. I’m here. I’m here, Daryl, please, just look at me!”

Daryl was panting now, straining as he resisted her. His blue eyes came down to meet hers, full of rage and hatred. Carol hadn’t seen that crazed look in his eyes for a very long time, and previously she’d hoped that she would never have to see it there again. But as his eyes focused on hers, recognizing the look of love and adoration she saved only for him, she watched as the anger subsided in him. It faded slowly from his eyes as he looked at her, and with a heavy sigh he laid his head to rest on her shoulder.

“’M sorry, Carol,” he said, settling himself into her embrace. “’M sorry, I know what you’re gonna say. I shouldn’t let him get to me, I shouldn’t let him make me so mad, but I can’t help it Carol, that asshole knows just what to say to piss me off.”

“I know,” she said soothingly, running her hand up and down his back. “I know. But you know that none of what he said is true, right? I love you. And no one, especially not Ed Peletier, is ever going to steal me away from you. Okay?”

He nodded sheepishly. “I know, Carol. I know. I love you.”

She leaned into him for a tender kiss, wrapping her arms lightly around his neck as she held him to her. His hands came up around her waist and held her tight, angling his lips enough to deepen the kiss. Carol could feel herself becoming lightheaded, her hands tangled in his hair as their tongues danced together. With a sharp gasp, she pulled back.

“I have a class to teach in less than half an hour,” she panted, resting her hands gently against his chest.

“So?” he asked gruffly, panting just as hard as she was.

“So,” she laughed. “I can’t exactly teach a class after you’ve kissed me breathless and messed up my hair, now can I? My students would definitely notice.”

Daryl groaned, pressing another kiss to her lips. “What if I don’t care?”

“You might when Dale calls me into his office asking why the whole school’s buzzing with talk about my love life,” she said with a grin. “I don’t see that conversation ending very well, do you?”

He shrugged, kissing her again. “Still don’t care. I wanna kiss ya all day long.”

Carol smiled against his lips, taking his hand in hers. “Come on,” she said, leading him to sit in the chair she kept beside hers. “Split my lunch with me. Just like when we were in high school.”

“Technically we’re in high school again right now,” he pointed out, taking the half of her sandwich that she held out to him.

“Then I think it’s more than fitting that we share a lunch again,” she said with a smirk. “I trust you don’t have a problem drinking from the same bottle as me, Pookie?”

“I dunno,” Daryl said a little skeptically. “D’you have cooties?”

Carol giggled at him. “I think you know by now that I don’t.”

“Well in that case, I s’pose I could share with ya,” he said, his blue eyes sparkling as he teased her. She giggled along with him, taking turns sipping from the bottle of sweet tea with him.

“How do ya do it?” he asked eventually. “Work with that douchebag? I’d have killed him by now, for sure.”

Carol shrugged. “I don’t really see him all that often, to be honest. And every time I do, I try to think about you. You help keep me calm.” He smiled at that, his fingers brushing over hers.

“I don’t know how ya do it,” he grumbled. “You’re beautiful ‘n perfect ‘n the best thing I got in my whole life. How the hell did ya stay with me all these years?”

“You have to know the answer to that by now,” Carol said, tangling her fingers with his. “You know how much you mean to me. How much I love you. You’re everything to me, Daryl. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Don’t know what I’d do without _you_ ,” he replied softly. “I love ya, Carol.”

“I love you too, Daryl.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Of course Daryl and Ed needed to run into each other again at some point! Hope you all enjoyed this one! :)


	12. Chapter 12

The wedding plans were completely finalized and everything was ready to go by the week of the wedding. Carol and Daryl had both taken a week off from work for their honeymoon, and Carol had also taken Friday off for her day at the spa with her bridesmaids.

“Remind me again why we didn’t plan our wedding during the summer?” Carol asked, reclining against her pillow as she watched Daryl get dressed from the comfort of their bed. “When we get back from our honeymoon, I am definitely not going to want to go back to work.”

“Oh, and I am?” Daryl asked, his eyes sparkling as he smirked over at her. “I think it’s only fair ya have to go back to work the same day I do. ‘Sides, ya took today off and I didn’t.”

“That’s true,” Carol said, forcing herself not to pout as Daryl pulled a t-shirt over his bare chest. She definitely preferred him shirtless. “So, where are you guys going tonight?”

“Still not sure. Rick ‘n Glenn picked the place.”

“And Merle’s going too?”

“Yep.”

“Good. I’m sure wherever you guys go, you’ll all have fun,” Carol said with a smile.

“Yeah, I hope so,” Daryl grumbled, pulling on his boots. “Alright. I’ll see ya tonight. Have a good time at the spa.” He leaned over the bed to kiss her deeply, and Carol held him firmly in place for a few moments, reluctant to let him go so soon.

“See you tonight, Pookie. I love you.”

“Love ya too, Carol.” With one final kiss he was gone, and Carol listened for the sound of his truck’s engine turning over outside. With a heavy sigh she heaved herself out of bed, going to find herself some comfortable clothes to wear for her bachelorette party at the spa.

Carol was just grabbing her shoes when a loud horn honked three times outside. She pulled the shoes on quickly, grabbing her purse as she ran outside to find Tara behind the wheel of the shiny red convertible she only drove on very special occasions.

“Wow, you didn’t have to bust Ruby out of the garage just for my bachelorette party,” Carol said as she climbed into the passenger seat.

“Well, hopefully this will be your only wedding, which means this will also be your only bachelorette party. I’ve gotta live it up while I can,” Tara said with a shrug. Carol was about to reply when, without warning, Tara put the car in drive and sped off down the street.

“You know, you’re doing 50 in a school zone,” Carol said breathlessly, pulling her seatbelt on a little tighter.

“Carol. Relax. I got this. Just sit back and enjoy the ride.”

The only part of the ride that Carol enjoyed, however, was when it was over. She climbed out of the car on shaky legs, seeing Michonne and Maggie waiting for them.

“Tara must’ve been the one driving,” Maggie commented. “You’re white as a ghost.”

“My driving is just fine, thank you very much,” Tara retorted.

“I think I definitely need a nice, relaxing massage after that,” Carol replied.

From the moment she entered the spa, Carol felt all her uneasiness disappear. As she slid into one of the spa’s soft white robes and accepted the chilled drink someone offered her, all her problems seemed to vanish. Tara wasn’t a reckless driver, Ed Peletier wasn’t hitting on her at work, and she even temporarily forgot her nagging fear that she would trip while walking down the aisle at her wedding. No, none of that seemed to matter anymore as she settled down beside Michonne for a full-body massage.

“You know Carol, I gotta say, I think you win the award for best bachelorette party,” Michonne mumbled from beside her.

“Are you saying this was a better idea than strippers?” Carol asked.

“ _Much_ better.”

After a massage, some sort of herbal face mask, and a manicure and pedicure, Carol felt more than relaxed and completely ready to marry Daryl on Sunday. She also decided that, since she was feeling so calm, she would ride with Michonne this time, and Maggie would ride with Tara.

“So, you know Rick and the guys took Daryl out for beers and dinner tonight, right?” Carol asked while they drove.

“Yeah, I know. Believe it or not, I actually do communicate with my husband on a fairly regular basis,” Michonne replied with a grin. Carol swatted playfully at her arm.

“I’m just saying, it sort of defeats the purpose of a bachelorette party if we end up at the same place where my fiancé is eating dinner,” Carol replied.

“Don’t you worry dear, Rick and I planned it all out,” Michonne said proudly. “While Daryl is at the local diner eating burgers with his buddies, you and your closest friends will be dining at a classy Italian restaurant across town.”

“I told you guys I didn’t want anything fancy!” Carol exclaimed. “Didn’t I say that pizza and wine would be fine with me?”

“Carol. Darling,” Michonne said slowly. “This is your bachelorette party. Just sit back and enjoy. Maybe your favorite bridesmaids wanted a little more than just pizza and wine.”

Carol sighed. “You guys are the best.”

“Yeah. We know.”

*****

Daryl stared uninterestedly at the beer in front of him. He'd insisted that Rick choose someplace ordinary and quiet. He didn't want anything crazy, and he certainly didn't want anything to do with the strippers that Merle had suggested. 

To be honest, Daryl hadn't even wanted any sort of bachelor party at all. He would've much rather spent the night in with Carol, eating pizza and making love to her until they both fell asleep in each other's arms. That certainly sounded much better than sitting at the local diner with Rick, Glenn, and Merle. As much as he loved his brother and his best friends, he'd always much rather spend his time with Carol. 

“Dude. For a guy who’s about to marry his high school sweetheart, you’re looking pretty glum,” Glenn mumbled around a huge bite of his burger.

Daryl shrugged silently.

“Yeah, what gives, man? Having second thoughts?” Rick asked, giving Daryl’s shoulder a light nudge.

“Hell fuckin’ no, I ain’t havin’ second thoughts,” Daryl replied quickly. “I just… I’d rather be with her right now. No offense to you guys, but—“

“Wow. Glad to know ya love me, baby brother,” Merle said obnoxiously. He was already on his fourth beer of the night, and Daryl couldn’t help but notice how he seemed to get a little louder after each drink.

“Oh, shut up, Merle,” Daryl grumbled. He took a small sip of his beer. Christ, did he miss Carol.

“He just wishes he was getting laid right now,” Glenn whispered, just loud enough so that Daryl could hear him. Rick and Merle snickered, and Daryl leaned over to whack Glenn upside the head.

“Shut up, man.” It was the best argument he could muster because, if he was being honest, Glenn wasn’t really too far from the truth.

“Man, I told ya we shoulda gotten strippers,” Merle whined. “Then maybe we all coulda gotten laid tonight, ya follow what I’m sayin’?”

“You do realize Glenn and I are already married, and Daryl’s wedding is on Sunday. Right?” Rick asked, sounding slightly exasperated with Merle.

Merle shrugged indifferently. “More fun for me then,” he replied, barking out a laugh as he took a large gulp of his beer.

“Jesus Christ,” Daryl mumbled, covering his face with his hands. He couldn’t wait to get home to Carol.

*****

The dinner was delicious and the wine was one of the best things Carol had ever tasted. But when the check came and the girls all hugged goodbye, Carol found herself itching to get home. She’d had a wonderful day with her best friends, but at that point she was more than ready to get home to Daryl. They hadn’t even talked to each other over the phone all day, and Carol’s heart longed for him.

When Michonne finally pulled into their driveway, it was everything Carol could do to keep herself from jumping out of the car and racing up the front steps as fast as her legs could carry her.

“Alright, alright,” Michonne said as she climbed out of the car. “Get in there and be with Daryl. He’s clearly all you’ve thought about for the past hour.”

“Sorry,” Carol said with a small shrug. Michonne laughed.

“Don’t apologize. I just hope that you actually had fun today.”

“I did,” Carol replied seriously. “I mean it. You guys are the absolute best.”

“We know. Now get in there and rock Daryl’s world, huh?” Carol couldn’t even bring herself to argue with the implications of that statement. Michonne gave her one last hug and she turned and raced up the front steps two at a time.

She’d barely closed the front door behind herself when Daryl was practically on top of her, his lips crashing against hers as he pinned her back against the door.

“Fuck, I missed ya today,” he mumbled against her lips.

“I missed you too,” she said as her hands tangled in his hair, pulling him even closer.

“Merle kept talkin’ ‘bout how he wanted strippers ‘n Glenn was makin’ jokes, ‘n the entire time I just kept thinkin’ how all I wanted was to be with you.”

“Aww, Pookie,” Carol said, pulling her head back enough so that she could see his face. “I really freaking missed you.”

“And I really fuckin’ missed ya, too,” he said with a grin, leaning in to kiss her softly this time. His hands moved down to her hips as he kissed her, and Carol sighed when she felt his tongue gently trace along her bottom lip.

“You know, maybe we should actually go to sleep tonight,” Carol said, pulling away from him. She had to try really hard not to giggle when he pouted sadly at her. “Don’t pout,” she said with a smile. “I have a funny feeling we won’t be sleeping very much when we’re on our honeymoon next week.”

“We’d better fuckin’ not be sleepin’ at all,” Daryl grumbled. Carol chuckled, wrapping her arms around his neck as she pulled him close. She buried her face in his shoulder, breathing in the familiar smell of him.

“Do you realize in less than 48 hours we’ll officially be husband and wife?” she whispered softly.

“Can’t fuckin’ wait,” Daryl replied, his hand moving slowly up and down her back. “Then I can take ya ‘n show ya off to everyone I meet. ‘N I’ll tell them, ‘Look at my gorgeous wife. Ain’t she the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen?’”

“Stop,” she said softly, feeling a slight blush creep into her cheeks. It amazed her how after so long together Daryl still managed somehow to make her blush.

“I’m bein’ serious ‘n you know it,” he said firmly.

“I know you are,” Carol said softly. She pulled back then, kissing his lips softly. “Come on, Pookie. Let’s get to bed.” She took his hand in hers, pulling him in the direction of their bedroom. They both definitely had a lot of sleep to catch up on before their honeymoon started. 


	13. Chapter 13

Carol woke up on Saturday morning wrapped up in Daryl's arms. She turned into him gently, snuggling up against his chest as she tried to get closer to him.

"Ya awake?" he asked softly. Carol blinked up at him, meeting his steady blue gaze that she was sure hadn't looked at anything but her all morning. 

"You could've woken me sooner," she mumbled, burying her face in his chest again. 

"Nah. You know I never wake ya." 

"Hmm, well maybe you should," she replied sleepily. "I could think of some really good ways for you to wake me up." She grinned up at him, and she couldn't help but notice the spark of something in his eyes. 

"Maybe I'll have to try some of 'em out on our honeymoon," he growled softly. 

"I think you definitely should," she replied, leaning upwards to place a kiss on his lips. 

"So what're we doin' today?" he asked. "I know we got the rehearsal 'n shit tonight, but what're we doin' 'till then?" 

Carol shrugged. "Whatever you want, Pookie." 

He looked down at her suggestively. " _Whatever_  I want?" he asked huskily. 

She sighed softly in exasperation, but she also smiled as she did. Of course, she was thinking exactly the same thing. 

"Whatever you want," she whispered softly, placing a quick kiss on his lips. She pulled back then, climbing out of bed and turning back to look at him. 

"Come back," he said sadly, holding out a hand to her. "This bed feels lonely without ya."

"Ugh, don't tell me that," Carol said. "That means I'm going to feel really lonely tonight."

"Still don't see why I have to sleep at Rick's," Daryl grumbled. "I'd much rather be here with you." 

"Well, tomorrow morning you can't see the bride beforehand," Carol said with a teasing smile. "It's bad luck."

"Bad luck my ass," he grumbled. 

Carol smiled down at him as she tried not to roll her eyes. "Alright," she said. "I'm going to take a shower. I'll see you later." 

She blew him a quick kiss as she headed for the bathroom, smirking to herself when she heard him groan in protest.

She ran the shower and dropped her clothes lazily on the bathroom floor, stepping into the warm stream of water with a sigh. She ran her fingers through her hair, sighing as the warmth of the water seemed to seep into her bones. A sudden flash of cold air made her gasp and she turned quickly, coming face to face with Daryl.

“Didn’t think ya’d be showerin’ without me, now, did ya?” he asked and she laughed, flinging her arms around his neck as she kissed him hungrily.

“I’d hoped you wouldn’t leave me in here alone,” she replied.

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he grumbled, pressing her back gently against the wall of the shower. She gasped, flinching away from the cold tiles. “Sorry,” he grumbled, pulling her back towards him and away from the wall.

“You’re going to shampoo my hair for me while you’re in here, right?” she asked between kisses. “It’s seriously my favorite thing in the world when you do that for me.”

“Carol, I’ll wash every single inch of ya,” he grumbled into her ear, making her shiver despite the warmth of the water. “C’mere, I’ll show ya.”

He grabbed the bar of soap, lathering up a washcloth so that he could meticulously cover every inch of her body in soapsuds. She sighed and leaned into his touch as his hand moved precisely over her entire body. When he finished with that he moved to her hair, running his fingers through her curls as he let the water run over her locks. He reached for the shampoo bottle then, his fingers gently massaging her scalp as he worked it into a lather in her hair.

“God, you’re amazing,” Carol sighed as his fingers moved expertly across her head.

“Not even half as amazin’ as you are,” he replied, turning her around so that he could rinse the shampoo from her hair.

“Stop,” she replied, leaning over to kiss him.

He finished tending to her hair and she returned the favor, washing him from head to toe. She would have loved to do some other things with him in that shower, but the water was already running cold and she didn’t exactly want to go and catch a cold the day before her wedding.

Daryl seemed to be thinking along the same lines because he reached behind her, turning off the water and grabbing a large towel to wrap around them both.

“Whaddya say we head on back to that bed?” he asked seductively once he’d successfully towel-dried them both. .

“Daryl, we just showered,” Carol said with a laugh, but she knew by the way his lips were ghosting over her neck right now that she didn’t have much fight left in her.

“Guess we’ll just have to take another one later,” he whispered, moving to place a kiss behind her ear.

“Hmm, I like the way you think, Pookie,” she replied, taking his hand as he led her back into their bedroom.

*****

Carol settled herself into her bed that night, suddenly conscious of just how big the bed was without Daryl there. She looked over at his side of the bed, wishing with everything she had that he was there with her. She knew why he couldn’t be there, and she agreed with Michonne that Daryl should spend the night at Rick’s, but she still missed him like crazy. She just couldn’t help it.

A hard thump at her window startled her out of her thoughts. For a moment she almost thought she'd imagined it, until another solid thump sounded. Hesitantly she climbed out of her bed, walking quietly over to look out the window. At first she couldn't see anything at all, but then another thump sounded.  _Was that a rock?_

She opened the window then, poking her head out into the darkness.  _Where had that rock come from?_

"Carol?" 

She squinted through the darkness, barely making out a large shape standing beneath her window. 

"Daryl?" 

"Hey," he said back. As her eyes adjusted to the lack of lighting, she could just make out Daryl's shaggy hair and broad shoulders. 

"What are you doing here?" she hissed, leaning against the windowsill. 

"I missed ya," he replied. "Hold on a sec." She watched him move over to the tree that grew beside the window, jumping up and hoisting himself onto the lowest hanging branch. 

"Daryl, what are you doing?" she asked with a laugh, watching as he climbed his way up the tree. 

"Hold on," he grumbled, grunting as he heaved himself onto the branch closest to the window with a grunt. "Hi," he said with a smile, huffing out a sigh as he adjusted his position on the branch. 

"Hi," she replied, leaning closer to kiss him softly. He reached out a hand to steady himself on the branch, kissing her back as he did. "You know," she said. "If Michonne comes up here right now and finds you here, she's going to freak." Michonne was asleep in the guest room downstairs, and Carol hoped to God that she actually was asleep so that she wouldn't hear Daryl talking. 

"Guess I don't care," Daryl grumbled, leaning over again to kiss her. "Just needed to see ya again."

Carol smiled against his lips, her fingers trailing lightly across his cheek. "How did you even get here?" she asked softly. "I didn't hear the truck." 

"Ran," Daryl said with a shrug. "It ain't that far." 

"Daryl," she laughed softly. "You're crazy, you know that? Completely crazy." 

"Hmm, but you're marryin' me anyway," he said with a grin. 

"Of course I am," she replied. "I love you." 

"I love ya, too, beautiful." He leaned into her again, kissing her deeply. She sighed as she leaned right back into him, her fingers gently caressing his cheek as she did. 

"Guess I should get goin'," he mumbled, resting his forehead gently against hers. "Don't wanna be tired in the mornin'. We got a big day tomorrow." She smiled at that, leaning in to give him another kiss. 

"Biggest day of our lives," she agreed. He chucked softly, kissing her again. 

"I love ya," he whispered. 

"I love you too," she replied softly. "Now go. I'll see you on the altar tomorrow." She kissed him once more, leaning back finally so that she was entirely inside their bedroom. 

"Goodnight, beautiful," he whispered. He started moving then, climbing slowly back down towards the ground. Carol watched him from the window, making sure that he got down safely. Once he was securely on the ground he looked back up at her, waving in farewell. She raised her arm, returning the wave and she watched as he turned into the darkness and set off at a brisk jog. She watched him until he jogged out of sight, turning away only when she could no longer make out the shape of him running off into the night.

She closed her window then, turning and climbing back into bed. She finally drifted off to sleep with the feel of Daryl’s kisses still on her lips and the thought of their wedding on her mind.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew! Okay, I am definitely not going to be happy with this chapter no matter what I do, so I'm just going to post it and hope I did these two justice. I hope you all enjoy it, though! :)

Mayhem. That was the only way to describe Carol's morning. Absolute fucking mayhem. 

First the hairstylist was late. Then the zipper on Maggie's dress broke clean off, so they had to improvise and use a paperclip to zip her up. Then Tara broke one of her acrylic nails, which was apparently a complete disaster and needed to be addressed immediately. And then, after all that chaos, the photographer was late as well. 

By the time Carol pulled up outside the little white church, she couldn't help wondering if this whole thing would have been easier if she and Daryl had simply run off and eloped the moment he had proposed. It certainly would have saved them all quite a few headaches. 

But then as she stood outside the church, with her mother and Michonne both fussing over her dress and her veil and making sure her bouquet of Cherokee roses looked just right, Carol could hardly contain her excitement. In just a few minutes she would walk down that aisle and her father would give her away to Daryl. Finally, all her dreams would be coming true, and she would marry the man she knew she was destined to spend forever with. 

Everything was a blur once the doors opened and people started walking inside. Carol tried her best not to giggle as she watched Merle awkwardly take Tara's arm and escort her inside, and she had to fight back tears as Glenn and Maggie followed. As Rick and Michonne stepped up to follow, just Carol and her father remained. 

"I know I said it earlier, but you look absolutely beautiful, sweetheart," her father told her. He'd been more silent than usual all morning, and when Carol had first pulled on her dress, she'd thought she'd seen a few tears sparkling in his eyes. 

"Thank you, Daddy," she said tearfully. 

"I'm not even going to ask you if marrying him will make you happy. I already know the answer to that." He smiled down at her. "You ready, baby girl?" 

Carol nodded silently. "I'm ready." 

The instant that she and her father started moving, the only thing she could focus on was Daryl, looking cleaner than she'd ever seen him before as he stood on the altar beside a broadly smiling Father Gabriel. The instant she entered the church Daryl's eyes didn't leave her, and she in turn kept her own gaze fixed on him. She wasn't worried about looking at all the family and friends sitting around them in the church, and she wasn't even worried about her fear of tripping in front of everybody. The only thing she could focus on, and the only thing that mattered, was the love of her life standing before her. The man that she was about to marry. 

***** 

Daryl couldn't breathe. From the moment he saw Carol enter the church, with her veil and her white gown flowing out behind her as she walked, he felt like he'd died and gone to heaven. Surely nothing on this earth could possibly be that beautiful. He figured he had to be looking at an actual angel. 

With each step closer, Daryl felt his heartrate kick up a few notches and by the time Carol and her father reached the altar, he was amazed that he hadn’t keeled over yet. Her father leaned in to give Carol a gentle kiss on the cheek before turning and placing her hand in Daryl’s.

“I know you’ll take good care of her,” he said. Daryl nodded, unable to speak as he swallowed the lump that rose up in his throat. _Dammit Dixon, don’t you dare cry now!_

Once everyone was situated and Carol’s father had gone to sit beside his sniffling wife, Father Gabriel began the service.

“Good afternoon,” he began. But Daryl didn’t hear much beyond that. He was far too focused on Carol. Her hair was done up in some fancy sort of twist, and she was wearing make-up that seemed more focused on accentuating her natural features than on dolling her up too much. She looked flawless in every way, and Daryl couldn’t keep his eyes off her.

“Daryl, do you take Carol to be your wife? And do you promise to love her, to cherish her, and to protect her, in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, ‘till death do you part?” Father Gabriel’s voice shook him out of his thoughts, and Daryl stared directly into Carol’s glistening blue eyes as he replied firmly.

“I do.”  

“And Carol, do you take Daryl to be your husband? Do you promise to love him, to cherish him, and to protect him, in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, ‘till death do you part?” Carol smiled at him as Father Gabriel spoke, not even hesitating as she replied.

“I do.”

“Daryl, do you have something for Carol?” Suddenly Rick was there beside him, holding out the golden band that Daryl had picked out for Carol. He took it in his shaking hand, turning back to Carol as he desperately tried to remember the words he’d repeated to himself so many times over the past few weeks. He wanted to get it just right.

“Carol, the first day we met, I knew there was somethin’ special about you. I wasn’t someone that was good at makin’ friends, and I pushed people away. But when I met you, somethin’ was different. I let you in. And it was the best decision of my entire life.” He cleared his throat, his gaze getting a little fuzzy, but he forced himself to keep going. He only had one shot at this, and he needed to make his words count. “Now I’m a completely different person, a changed man, and it’s all because I met you, Carol. You helped make me a better person, and I don’t know where I’d be without you.” Her eyes were misting over too, and he offered her a small smile before he continued again. “You saved me, Carol. And I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you. I’m the luckiest man in the world to have someone as amazin’ as you, and I’m so thankful every day that we found each other.”

He slid the ring gently onto her finger, and he heard her sniffle as she gently wiped at a tear that threatened to fall. Michonne moved up silently beside Carol, handing her a ring.

Carol’s gaze came up to meet his, her blue eyes full of love for him and unshed tears. He swallowed hard, willing himself at least to hold it together while they stood in front of everyone.

“Daryl Dixon,” she began. “From the first day I met you, I knew that you weren’t the person you pretended to be. I knew that there was so much more to you than that. And I’m beyond grateful that I got to be the one to see that side of you first.” She took his hand in hers, her gaze not once wavering from his. “You said that I saved you. But Daryl, what you don’t see is that you’re the one that saved me. Meeting you has been the most beautiful part of my life, and just knowing that you love me as much as I love you is the only thing I will ever need. Because I love you so much, Daryl. You’re my rock. You’re my source of light and happiness and love, and I would be completely lost in life without you. I love you, and I am so excited to spend the rest of forever with you by my side.”

He felt something warm and wet fall down his cheek, but in that moment he didn’t even care that he was crying. He watched as Carol slid the ring onto his trembling hand, her fingers gentle yet steady. She wasn’t nervous, she wasn’t unsure. She knew exactly what she was doing. She wanted to marry him and she loved him, and Daryl knew that she always would. He would never understand just how or why, but he knew without a doubt that Carol would always love him.

“May the Lord bless this union and bring you much happiness and joy throughout the years to come,” Father Gabriel said, and Daryl waited with bated breath for his final words. “And now, by the authority vested in me, I pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride.”

Daryl hardly registered the tumultuous sound of applause as he pulled Carol to him, kissing her as he’d never kissed her before. It was, after all, their first kiss as husband and wife, and Daryl could hardly contain his excitement at the prospect of spending a lifetime with Carol as his wife.

*****

The rest of the day passed by in a blur. Carol threw the bouquet and Tara caught it, and the rest of the evening was spent at a cute little reception hall in town. If Daryl had it his way, they would've run off and gotten married with just a quiet ceremony months ago, and they could've skipped the whole reception thing. But Carol had asked him if they could do a bigger ceremony. She'd always dreamed of a big wedding with flowers and gowns and a little white church. She wanted it all, and she wanted it with Daryl. He knew that even though it wasn't exactly what he would have planned for them, it would make Carol happy and he would do absolutely anything for her. 

And, if he was being honest, having a huge wedding reception wasn't actually that bad. Carol was absolutely radiant the entire day, and he knew that he could do anything with her by his side. He'd held her close while they danced, and for once he didn't care that everyone was watching as he kissed her. It was his wedding day too and dammit, he was going to kiss his wife as much as he wanted to. 

Once everything had died down and the reception had ended, Daryl and Carol both changed into more comfortable clothes for their drive to the North Georgia Mountains. It wasn't even an hour drive, but Daryl couldn't stand wearing a tie any longer than he had to, and Carol certainly didn't want to stay in her wedding dress. Rick had been nice enough to bring Daryl's truck over, and before they knew it Carol and Daryl were driving off on their honeymoon. Carol had slid into the middle seat of the truck, taking his hand as they drove. He intertwined his fingers with hers, brushing his thumb back and forth across her knuckles. 

"So. Mrs. Dixon," Daryl said quietly as he drove. "Did ya enjoy your wedding day? Was it everythin' you hoped it'd be?" 

She smiled at him, bringing his fingers up to her lips. "You know I did," she told him. "This has been the best day of my life." 

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," she replied. "Did you enjoy today, too? I know you hate getting dressed up and you hate big crowds, but..." 

"Carol." She stopped talking then, looking over at him. "Today was the best day of my life, too. Even with the stupid fancy tie 'n the crowd of people 'n everythin'. You know why?" She looked at him silently, waiting for his answer. "Because today I married the love of my life, 'n there ain't nothin' else I ever wanted more than I want to be with you." 

He came to a stop at a red light, turning to face her. "I love you," he said, leaning over to kiss her lips. "Carol Dixon." 

She shuddered at the sound of her new name, a smile playing across her lips as she returned his kiss. 

"Carol Dixon," she repeated softly. "My name is Carol Dixon. And my husband is Daryl Dixon." She said it like she was trying it on for size, testing out the way it sounded. "I could definitely get used to the sound of that." 

"Hmm, me too," he said, leaning in to kiss her again. The light changed to green so he kept driving, and Carol held his hand the rest of the drive to their cabin. When they arrived everything was dark, and she followed Daryl out the driver's side of the truck hesitantly. 

"The guy said the keys are under the mat by the front door," he told her as he took her hand. He pulled her to him, kissing her deeply. "So, wife. Whaddya say we go on in 'n get started on our honeymoon?" 

She grinned at him, leading the way up the front steps. "Sounds good to me... husband." 


	15. Chapter 15

Carol squealed as Daryl scooped her up easily into his arms. He kicked the door open, carrying her into the cabin. She wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her head against his as he carried her through what looked like a small living room and into a bedroom. He leaned in to press a soft kiss to her lips, setting her down on the bed gently as he reached over to flip on the bedside lamp. He pulled off her shoes and socks for her, massaging her feet as he did. He couldn't resist tickling her toes gently while he was at it, causing her to squeal in delight. He grinned down at her, hastily baring his own feet as well as he climbed over her, propping himself up on his elbows as he kissed her deeply. She sighed as she leaned into his kiss, bringing her hands up to tangle gently in his hair. 

"I love you, Mrs. Dixon," he mumbled against her mouth, his own lips brushing over hers as he spoke. 

"Hmm, I love you too, Mr. Dixon," she replied, pulling him back down for another kiss. His hand moved to cup her cheek as he kissed her back slowly, passionately. He was in no hurry tonight, and he was fully prepared to spend the rest of the night exploring every last inch of Carol's body, loving her like it was the first time all over again. 

He took his time, slowly removing pieces of clothing from each of their bodies until at last there was nothing standing in their way. He hadn't been this deliberate with Carol in years, and he took his time in familiarizing himself all over again with every curve and every freckle of her body. She was his wife now, and he took his time in permanently memorizing her as such. When he made love to her he moved slower and gentler than he had since they were in high school, and as he came down from his own climax he couldn't help thinking that this had to be their best time yet. 

When they were through he held her against his chest, his breaths coming just in time with hers. He didn't even remember falling asleep, but when he opened his eyes the sun was shining through the window and Carol was fast asleep beside him. He laid there in the silence of the morning, watching her while she slept. He couldn't help the smile that spread across his face as he watched her, knowing that she was all his and he was all hers. He'd never thought for a moment that he'd find a woman that he could actually spend his life with, but now that he had he knew that he was definitely the happiest man alive. 

He watched her until she woke up, her eyelashes fluttering softly as she blinked in the early morning light. He brought his fingertips to stroke her cheek, smiling down at her as her eyes focused on him. 

"Good mornin', Mrs. Dixon," he said softly. 

"Good morning, Pookie," she replied, lifting her hand and rubbing her thumb over his cheek. 

He leaned in closer to her, kissing her sweetly. He pulled her to him then, holding her close as he continued to kiss her. 

"So what are we doing today, husband?" she asked suddenly, pulling back from him just enough that she could rest her forehead against his. 

"Whatever ya want," he replied. 

"I saw a canoe out front when we came in," she said. "Why don't we take it out on the lake?" 

"Sounds good to me," he replied, pulling her in for another deep kiss. They laid in bed for a while longer, whispering softly to each other and kissing in the early morning light until they finally got up to make breakfast. Daryl had paid a little bit extra so that the kitchen came fully stocked with food, but he hadn't told Carol that. As far as she knew, the food was included with the cabin, and that was the way Daryl wanted it to be. He'd spend his last dime on her, but he also knew she'd never allow for that. But then again, splurging a little bit extra for their honeymoon seemed perfectly justifiable to him, so he went ahead and spent the extra little bit. It was all worth it, anyway. 

They cooked breakfast together and ate together, and then they even washed their dishes together with her washing and him drying.  _Like a proper married couple_ , he thought happily to himself. Afterwards they headed outside, and Daryl helped Carol climb into the canoe with him. She was wearing shorts and a tank top, and Daryl couldn't help focusing on just how beautiful his wife really was. 

"I like this," Carol said once Daryl had gotten the canoe out into the middle of the lake. "It's nice and peaceful out here. Just you and me." 

"Told ya it was a good place," he told her, wiggling his eyebrows over at her. 

"See, and this is why I listen to you when it comes to this kind of stuff," she replied. She leaned over slightly then, kissing him squarely on the lips. "I love you," she whispered. 

"I love you, too," he replied. 

He brought the canoe back to shore, and Carol sat down at the edge of the lake beside him, crossing her legs as she reclined into his embrace. She reached a foot out to dip it in the lake, as Daryl pressed a series of gentle kisses to her cheek. 

"So, what do we want to do next?" Carol asked, glancing over her shoulder at him suggestively. 

"Sweetheart, I don't really care as long as it don't involve any clothes," Daryl replied. Carol laughed, and he pressed a kiss to her lips. 

“Hmm, I think that could be arranged,” she replied with a grin. “Come on.” She stood up then, holding a hand out to him. He took it without hesitation and followed her inside, completely ready to spend the rest of the day making love to his wife. 


	16. Chapter 16

The honeymoon was over far too quickly for Carol’s liking. If she had it her way, she and Daryl would be able to hide away in a cabin in the mountains for the rest of their lives, hiding from all their responsibilities, other people, and any other problems they may have to face.

Because in all honesty, life was so much better when there was no one but Carol and Daryl, snuggled up together in a cabin in the mountains.

When they arrived home after the honeymoon, Carol already wished that they were back in the mountains. They had already received calls from both Michonne and Merle, checking to make sure that they’d gotten home alright. Michonne had wanted all the gory details of the honeymoon of course, but Carol had mercifully avoided giving her the full play-by-play.

“Wish we didn’t have to come back,” Daryl mumbled into Carol’s shoulder on Monday morning, Carol’s alarm clock blaring beside her to signal the start of her first day back at school.

“Me too,” she replied groggily, reaching over to shut off the alarm.

“You really gotta go to work today?” he asked.

“I do,” she replied. “And so do you.”

“I don’t wanna go,” he complained, snuggling against her.

“Well, I don’t particularly want to go either,” she told him, running her fingers gently through his hair. “But we have to go.”

He pouted up at her for a moment and she laughed at his expression, leaning in for a tender kiss.

“Come on,” she said, kicking off the blanket that covered both of them. “We both need to shower before work, and I figured we could… conserve water.”

“Hell fuckin’ yes,” Daryl replied, hauling himself out of bed. If he really did have to go back to work, then he was at least going to enjoy a bit of quality time with his wife first.

*****

Carol stepped inside the high school for the first time in over a week feeling completely ready for it to be summer break already. She couldn’t wait for her students to complete their final exams and for her to have the entire summer off to relax.

She was just setting her things down in her classroom and getting reoriented, reading through the notes left behind by the substitute that had taught her class while she’d been off in the mountains with Daryl for a week. A sharp knocking at her classroom door startled her, and she looked up to find Dale standing in the doorway.

“Carol! Lovely to see you,” he said with a broad smile. “Congratulations on the wedding. I trust the honeymoon was everything you hoped it would be?”

“It was amazing,” Carol agreed. “I kind of still wish we were there.”

“Yes, I’m sure,” Dale agreed. “I remember my honeymoon with Irma. Goodness, that seems so long ago, now. We certainly never wanted to come back.” Carol smiled at the faraway look in his eyes as he remembered back to his own honeymoon. “Anyway,” Dale continued, sobering himself with a shake of his head. “We’re all certainly glad to have you back. Happy Monday!”

He turned and exited the classroom, leaving Carol to organize her papers and get herself ready for a day of teaching. She grabbed the papers she needed to make copies of, heading down the hall in the direction of the teacher’s lounge.

When she arrived, she almost turned around and headed straight back to her classroom.

“Well, now, would you look who’s back. Mrs. Carol Dixon, huh?”

“Hi Ed,” Carol grumbled, setting about making her copies as quickly as possible. She needed to stay the hell away from Ed.

“How was the honeymoon? Did Dixon rock your world the way a real man should?” Ed guffawed, taking a sip of his coffee.

“You’re such a pig,” Carol said, keeping her back to him, refusing to even look in his general direction.

“Alright, alright, I didn’t mean to upset you, darlin’,” Ed said. Carol glanced over at him quickly and saw that he had his hands raised in mock surrender. Carol rolled her eyes, turning purposefully back to face the copy machine.

“Okay, but seriously.” _Why was Ed still talking to her??_ “It's nice to see your lovely self back.” She heard him start moving and whipped her head around to make sure he wasn't coming anywhere near her. To her relief he was already moving towards the door but when he saw her looking, he shot her a quick wink. Carol rolled her eyes dramatically, turning back to her copies. What was it with Ed and being such a creep?

She finished with the copy machine and made her way back to her classroom, making sure that she had everything nice and organized for the day. She was just logging onto her computer to check her school email when her phone began to ring.

“Hey,” she answered.

“Hello, Mrs. Dixon,” came Daryl’s voice. “How’s your first day back at work?”

“Oh, you know, it’s been great,” Carol replied sarcastically. “I’d barely been in the building for twenty minutes when I ran into Ed Peletier.”

“Is he really still botherin’ ya?” Daryl asked angrily. “Thought ya said you’d talk to Dale if he kept that shit up.”

“I mean, I can’t exactly report him just for talking to me,” Carol replied.

“Nah, I think there’s more to his talks than you’re lettin’ on,” Daryl said. “He ever say anythin’ that made ya feel uncomfortable? Anythin’ a normal guy wouldn’t ask his female coworker?”

Carol sighed heavily. “You mean like asking me if my husband rocked my world when we went on our honeymoon?” she asked heavily.

Daryl was silent for a few moments. “Did he seriously fuckin’ ask ya that?” he snarled.

Carol closed her eyes and put her head in her free hand. “Maybe.”

“Carol, that’s the kinda shit you’ve gotta fuckin’ report!” Daryl yelled. “Go talk to Dale right now, because if you don’t then I’m gonna march my own ass down there and tell Dale for ya. And so fuckin’ help me, if I ever see Ed Peletier’s ugly-ass face ever again, I’m gonna beat his ass senseless.”

“Daryl, stop it,” Carol begged. “I’ll talk to Dale. Just please, for the love of God, don’t do anything stupid.”

“You know me, I’m great at doin’ stupid things,” Daryl replied angrily. “Seriously, though. This asshole’s harrassin’ my wife – again – and I ain’t okay with that. ‘N you shouldn’t be either.”

“I know,” Carol said softly. “And you’re right, okay? I’ll go talk to Dale during my lunch break.”

“That’s my girl,” Daryl said, apparently having calmed down a bit, and Carol could almost hear him smiling through the phone. “I’ll talk to ya later, okay? Have a good day.”

“Okay. I love you, Pookie,” Carol said.

“I love ya, too.” As Carol ended the call she felt a strange sense of peace wash over her. She would talk to Dale, and with any luck, Ed Peletier would never bother her ever again.

*****

Carol took a deep breath before knocking on the door of Dale Horvath’s office. She’d thought about exactly what she was going to say but now that she was actually standing outside of Dale’s office, she couldn’t even string together a coherent thought. How the hell was she supposed to tell Dale everything Ed had said to her?

“Carol, what a pleasant surprise!” Dale exclaimed with a smile. “Please, come in, make yourself comfortable.” Carol did as he asked, taking a seat on the opposite side of his desk. She thought about the last time she’d been in that seat, pleading with Principal Horvath to spare Daryl from being punished for fighting again. She could still remember the feeling of Ed glaring at her as he got into trouble but Daryl didn’t, and she gave herself a small shake to clear her head.

“To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?” Dale asked with one of his warm smiles.

Carol took another deep breath. “I need to talk to you about Ed Peletier,” she began slowly.

“Oh no,” Dale said with a heavy sigh. “He isn’t bothering you, is he?” Carol nodded somberly. “Dammit,” Dale muttered. “I’d really hoped that he’d grown up over time – that he’d changed.”

“I mean, he’s certainly changed some of his opinions since high school,” Carol said with a small shrug. When Dale looked at her quizzically, she continued. “You remember how in high school he would tell everyone that I had diseases? And then Daryl would throw a punch and then they’d fight and then we’d all end up sitting here in your office afterwards?”

Dale smiled wryly. “Oh, I remember,” he said.

“Well, now he seems to have forgotten about all that because he keeps hitting on me,” she told him. “He keeps telling me that I’m gorgeous, and that if I’m not careful he’s going to steal me away from Daryl, and he makes comments about how I look, and then today he asked me if Daryl rocked my world on our honeymoon and I just can’t stand hearing him say things like that anymore.”

Dale sighed, shaking his head sadly. “Thank you for telling me, Carol,” he began. “I’m going to file this as a complaint of workplace harassment and then I’ll be having a very serious conversation with Mr. Peletier. If he ever bothers you again, you be sure to let me know immediately. Any more instances like these will mean instant termination of Mr. Peletier’s employment here.”

Carol sighed in relief. “Thank you, Dale,” she said.

“Of course. And I mean it – the instant he bothers you again, I want you back in this office. Promise?”

“I promise,” Carol agreed. “Let’s just hope it never comes to that.”

“Yes, let’s hope not.”

“Thanks, Dale,” Carol said, turning and exiting the office. As she made her way down the hall towards her classroom, she felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. With any luck Ed would be leaving her alone after today, and she would be able to properly focus on her work whenever she was at school.

She sat down at her desk, pulling her cell phone out of a drawer and dialing Daryl’s number. She knew he would definitely be happy to hear about this.

“You talk to Dale?” he asked as he answered the phone.

“Well, hello to you, too,” Carol said with a laugh.

“Did ya talk to him?” Daryl asked again and Carol sighed.

“Yes, Daryl, I just left his office. I have a pretty good feeling that Ed won’t be bothering me again.”

“Good,” Daryl said, and Carol could hear the obvious relief in his voice. “Okay. Now that that’s outta the way… Hi beautiful, how’s your day goin’?”

Carol laughed. “It’s going fine, Pookie. How’s your day?”

“It’s alright,” he replied. “But I’m really missin’ my beautiful wife right now.”

Carol smiled, twisting a lock of hair around her finger. “And I’m really missing my wonderful husband,” she said.

“Stahp,” he said. A second passed before he spoke again. “I can’t wait to see ya tonight.”

“I can’t wait either,” she said. “What should I make for dinner?”

She heard Daryl sigh heavily and almost laughed out loud as she envisioned him rolling his eyes at her. “How the hell are ya thinkin’ ‘bout food right now?” he asked. “All I can think ‘bout is gettin’ ya into bed with me.”

Carol laughed again. “Okay, maybe I’m thinking about that, too. So maybe I’ll pick up some food for us so I don’t have to waste time cooking and we can spend more time in that bed,” she said suggestively.

“Can’t fuckin’ wait,” Daryl said. “I’ll see ya tonight, beautiful. I love you.”

“I love you too, Pookie,” Carol replied. “See you tonight.” As she hung up the phone she couldn’t help smiling to herself. Things were certainly looking up now: Ed would be forced to leave her alone or else he would lose his job, it was almost summer, and Carol was finally married to the love of her life. How could things possibly get any better?


	17. Chapter 17

Carol retched over the toilet again, grateful that at least Daryl was there to hold her hair back for her. Not for the first time the thought occurred to her that life would be much easier with shorter hair. She retched over the toilet bowl once again.

“Easy now, you’re okay,” Daryl mumbled soothingly as he rubbed her back.

“Ugh, that was disgusting,” Carol groaned, wiping her mouth as she flushed the toilet. “Whatever we ate last night must not have agreed with me.”

She stood up slowly, rinsing out her mouth and brushing her teeth three times. She still felt a little queasy, but she at least felt a little better after she brushed her teeth.

“Maybe you should stay home today,” Daryl said gently, running a hand up and down her arm.

“No, I can’t, I have to give my students their final papers today,” she argued. Finals week was well underway, and in just a few days the school year would be over and summer break would finally be upon them.

“Carol, you ain’t in any condition to be teachin’ today,” Daryl told her firmly.

“I’m fine,” Carol told him. “Just let me take a shower and we’ll see how I feel afterwards.”

Daryl huffed out a sigh but did as she asked, and Carol took a nice, hot shower. By the time she was finished, she’d almost forgotten that she’d thrown up that morning at all.

“I’m telling you Daryl, I feel fine,” she told Daryl after her shower. “I’ll just eat some crackers and stay hydrated and I’ll be fine. I’ll take it easy today.”

“You should really stay home. Take care of yourself,” he told her.

“I’m serious Daryl, I can’t explain it but I feel much better than I did earlier.”

Daryl sighed, shaking his head. “You work too hard,” he said.

“I know I do,” Carol sighed. “But I just took time off for the honeymoon, and it’s already almost summer break as it is. I’ll be fine.”

She felt even more sure of herself by the time she arrived at the school. She headed into the building feeling much better, and after teaching her first few classes she’d almost entirely forgotten about the incidents of that morning altogether. At lunch she ate some crackers and drank some water while she checked in with Daryl, reassuring him once again that she was feeling much better.

By the time dinner rolled around Carol was feeling like her normal self, and she was even able to eat some chicken.

“I don’t get it,” Daryl said, picking at his vegetables. “You literally just puked this mornin’ ‘n now you’re eatin’ solid food.”

“I don’t get it either, but I’m certainly not complaining,” Carol replied. “Hey, do we have any strawberries? I feel like I really want strawberries.”

“Uh, we should have some in the fridge,” Daryl said. “That’s kind of a weird thing to want, considerin’ what happened this mornin’.”

“I know, I just really want strawberries,” Carol said with a shrug.

“Alright,” Daryl replied. “Whatever ya want, sweetheart.”

*****

The following night, Carol went out to dinner with Michonne, Maggie, and Tara. The four of them crowded around a little booth in the diner, placing their orders before quickly launching into conversation.

“Carol, you never order a strawberry milkshake, you always get vanilla,” Michonne observed after the waitress walked away.

“I know,” Carol replied with a shrug. “But for the past couple days I’ve been eating so many strawberries. I just want strawberry everything and I have no idea why.”

“That’s kind of weird,” Michonne said. “I mean, I like strawberries as much as the next person, but I don’t go out of my way to eat strawberry everything.”

“I usually don’t either,” Carol agreed. “I’m sure I’ll be over it in a couple days.”

“Probably,” Michonne agreed. The conversation then shifted, and the girls were chattering away happily when their food finally arrived.

“Oh my God Tara, that stinks,” Carol said suddenly, covering her nose with her hand as Tara picked up her cheeseburger beside her. Her stomach was suddenly feeling queasy and Carol was instantly reminded of the incident from the previous morning. “Did they even cook that thing?”

Tara took a huge bite from the burger, admiring the inside as she chewed. “Dude, it’s barely even pink inside. It’s cooked perfectly,” she said. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

“Nothing, I’m fine,” Carol said slowly, giving her head a small shake and taking a sip of her strawberry milkshake. “It’s just got a really strong smell, that’s all.” She picked up her fork and took an experimental bite of chicken, feeling slightly better as she focused on her own food rather than Tara’s. She couldn’t help noticing that Michonne was looking at her strangely, but she purposefully ignored her as she slowly ate her food.

After they finished their meal, Carol walked out with her friends and hugged each of them goodbye in the parking lot. She was just about to climb into her car when Michonne placed a hand on her arm.

“Are you okay?” Michonne asked. Maggie and Tara had already climbed into their cars and headed home, so now Michonne could finally freely talk about whatever was on her mind. “You’ve been acting weird all night.”

“I’m fine,” Carol said. “I’m just tired, that’s all. And I guess I just still haven’t really recovered from yesterday morning.”

“What happened yesterday morning?”

“I wasn’t feeling well, and I threw up a bit,” Carol said. “Whatever Daryl and I got for dinner the night before didn’t agree with me, I guess.”

Michonne grinned at her, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Oh, really? Dinner didn’t agree with you, huh?” she asked sarcastically.

“Well, what else could it be?” Carol asked.

“Well, let’s see,” Michonne said. “You threw up in the morning. You’ve been having a random craving for strawberries lately. And the smell of a cooked burger made you nauseous. What does that sound like to you?”

Carol thought for a moment, running through all the symptoms Michonne had just listed. Nothing came to her.

“I don’t know, Mich, what does it sound like?” she asked.

Michonne sighed heavily. “When’s your period due?” she asked.

Carol looked at her in bewilderment. “I don’t know,” she said. “I planned our honeymoon around it, so it was supposed to come… the Friday after we got back,” Carol said after thinking for a moment.

Michonne grinned. “And how long ago was that?”

Carol thought again. “Like two and a half weeks ago.”

“So now, on top of your weird food cravings and your outbursts of nausea, you’re also well over two weeks late,” Michonne said with a knowing grin.

Suddenly, something clicked in Carol’s head. She stared at her friend in disbelief.

“Oh my God,” she said slowly. “Mich, you don’t think…”

“I think you need to stop at the pharmacy on the way home, girl,” Michonne said, still grinning. “And you need to tell me the results as soon as you know.”

“Oh my God,” Carol said breathlessly. “Oh my God. Oh my _God_.”

“Carol, relax,” Michonne said. “We don’t even know for sure yet. Just go take a pregnancy test and let me know what it says.”

“Okay,” Carol said, taking a deep breath and nodding slowly. “Okay. Thanks, Mich. I’ll call you later.”

“You’d better,” Michonne replied, giving Carol a tight hug. “And don’t worry about it. I’m sure everything will be just fine.”

*****

Carol got home about twenty minutes later, a small bag from the pharmacy clenched tightly in her hand.  She locked the door behind herself, setting her purse down just as Daryl came down the hall to greet her.

“Hey, beautiful,” he said, wrapping her in a hug and kissing her softly. “How was dinner?”

“Dinner was fine,” Carol said stiffly.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, pulling back to look at her. “What’s this?” he added, noticing the bag clenched in her white knuckles. Carol handed him the bag wordlessly, letting him look inside and see for himself. Daryl’s face turned pale.

“You think you’re…?” he asked, trailing off as he stared at her.

“I’m not sure,” she admitted. “But I think I might be. I mean, I’ve been nauseous a few times and I even threw up yesterday, and I’m craving strawberries of all things, and then tonight Michonne and I did the math and figured out that I’m late…” She was breathing heavily and so was Daryl, and he was staring at her in silence as he struggled to comprehend what she was telling him.

“Holy shit,” he whispered. Carol could tell just how nervous he was – it was written plainly for her to see on his face and in his eyes. She smiled reassuringly at him, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck again and kissing him softly.

“Hey, we don’t even know for sure yet,” she told him. “And even if I am pregnant, that’s something you should be excited about. If that test comes back positive, I want you to be excited with me.” Her eyes desperately searched his, trying to read his thoughts through his deep blue eyes.

“Carol, I’ve told ya before,” he said slowly. “I ain’t made for bein’ a daddy.”

“Of course you are,” she reassured him, kissing the tip of his nose. “You’ll be a great father. I know you will.”

“How could ya possibly know that?” he asked hoarsely.

“Because I know you,” she said, running her fingers gently over his cheek. When he still didn’t look convinced she pressed harder. “And because you aren’t anything like your father, Daryl. You aren’t.” The look on his face told her that she’d just hit exactly where he needed her to. She leaned in for another warm kiss, gently taking the bag back from his hand. “I’m going to take these tests, now.”

Daryl released her gently and she turned, heading down the hallway towards the bathroom. She flipped on the light switch, taking a deep breath as she removed both tests from their packaging. She needed to be absolutely sure of her results.

Once she was finished she set the tests down on the edge of the bathroom sink, setting a timer on her cell phone so she would know when the results were ready. She exited the bathroom slowly, going to find Daryl who was sitting on the edge of the couch with his head in his hands.  She sat down beside him, wrapping her arms around him and holding him close.

“Talk to me,” she said softly. He lowered his hands, his blue eyes coming up to look into hers.

“I’m scared,” he admitted.

“Oh, you shouldn’t be scared,” she told him, running her fingers through his hair. “Whatever happens, whether I’m pregnant or not, we’re in this together, Daryl. Whatever happens, it’ll be you and me. Okay? Together.”

Daryl gazed at her, seeing the firm resolve in her eyes and for the first time all night, he smiled.

“You’re right,” he whispered, bringing his head down to rest on her shoulder. “I’m sorry, I’m just freakin’ out.”

“Don’t be sorry,” Carol said, holding him closer. “Honestly, this is you we’re talking about. I think I’d be more worried about you if you _weren’t_ freaking out.”

Daryl laughed then, bringing his head up to give her a long, tender kiss. “I love you, Carol,” he whispered.

“I love you too, Pookie,” she replied. She kissed him once more and at that very moment, the alarm on her cell phone went off.

“Are you ready?” she asked, gently taking his hand in hers.

“Ready as I’ll ever be, I guess.”

Carol led the way, never releasing her grip on his hand as they entered the bathroom together. She looked down at the tests, mentally preparing herself for whatever she might see.

She stared at the tests for a moment, letting her brain process what she was seeing. Lying on the counter before her were two clearly positive pregnancy tests.

“Oh my God,” she whispered, turning excitedly and hugging Daryl tightly. He brought his arms around her quickly, holding on for dear life as he continued to stare at the tests on the counter.

“We’re havin’ a baby,” he mumbled, completely dumbfounded.

“We’re having a baby,” Carol agreed happily, bringing her lips to his. She couldn’t stop smiling and as she stared at Daryl, a small smile spread across his lips too. Everything was happening so quickly all around them, but Carol couldn’t be happier. They were on their way to having their own little Dixon family, and she was definitely more than ready to embark on this next new adventure with Daryl.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoop, surprise! I'm baaaaack!! I'm not sure if anyone is even still reading this on here (it's on Nine Lives as well) but just in case, here's the latest update!

It was 3:07am and Daryl was still wide awake. Carol lay sleeping peacefully beside him, one arm resting gently atop his stomach as she breathed out gently against his shoulder. There was a small smile played across her lips, but no matter how hard he tried, Daryl couldn't quite share in her excitement. He'd always known that Carol had wanted children, but he'd also known that he certainly was not ready to be a father. Since he'd never really had a father to set a good example for him, he didn't know the first thing about being somebody’s daddy.

Of course Carol was excited. She loved children, and she’d always dreamed of having a little family of her own. She'd told Daryl this probably hundreds of times, but now that it was actually officially happening, Daryl found himself feeling completely terrified and unprepared.

Daryl rolled onto his side gently, not wanting to disturb Carol from her sleep. She was beautiful when she was sleeping, and just the sight of her seemed to help ease some of Daryl’s nerves. He brought a hand up to carefully brush a lock of hair back from her face, mentally chastising himself for being so scared. When they'd first found out he'd tried to play it cool, not wanting to freak out in front of Carol when she was clearly excited. He didn't want to take away from her happiness just because he was freaking out inside. But now that he'd had a few sleepless hours to process everything that was happening, he wasn't sure he could contain his sense of panic for much longer.

He felt Carol’s arm shift first, wrapping itself a little tighter around his waist as she shifted closer to him. She blinked a few times in the darkness, and Daryl couldn't help but smile as he watched her slowly wake up.

“Mmm, what are you doing up?” she asked sleepily, bringing her hand up to stroke Daryl’s cheek.

“Can't sleep,” he replied, shifting closer to her still and pressing a kiss to her forehead.

“You're freaking out, aren't you?” she asked with a knowing smile.

“Pfft, what makes ya think that?”

“I know you,” she replied. “Of course you're freaking out. I walked in the door with the tests tonight and you freaked out then.”

Daryl sighed, holding onto her tightly. “I know. I just don't think I'm –“

“Don't even say it,” Carol cut him off. “Daryl, you're going to be a wonderful father. You'll see. I know you're scared, but I'm telling you that there's absolutely nothing to be scared of. Okay? You and I are both going to be parents, and I think we'll turn out to be pretty good at it.”

Daryl chuckled, giving in when she pulled him in for a soft kiss. “Ya really think so?” he asked.

“I know so,” she replied. “Now get some sleep. Once there's a baby in this house, I don't think either one of us will be able to sleep anymore.”

Daryl snuggled closer to her, trying to absorb some of her calmness and let it wash over him. He knew that everything would be fine – it always was when it came to himself and Carol – but he still couldn't seem to keep himself from worrying. But he forced himself to relax, and with the feeling of Carol’s fingers running gently and soothingly through his hair, Daryl finally drifted off to sleep.

*****

It was officially summer break and Carol had all the time in the world. Now that she knew they’d be adding a new little member to their family, there was a lot of stuff Carol wanted to get done. She’d already called and scheduled her first doctor’s appointment, and she’d started going through the living room and trying to baby-proof the place. She guessed she was somewhere around two months along in the pregnancy, and yet she was already getting ready for the baby’s arrival.

She knew that Daryl was still freaking out, but he was at least trying to play it cool now. He hadn’t made any comments about his inability to envision himself as a father for the past couple of days, and Carol hoped that as time went by he would realize how silly he was being to worry in the first place. She knew that he would make an excellent father, and she couldn’t wait for him to realize the same thing.

Daryl took the day of Carol’s first doctor’s appointment off from work so that he could be there. Whatever happened, whatever was discussed, he knew he wanted to be there for all of it. He definitely didn’t want Carol to have to sit through all of that alone.

Carol was secretly glad to know that Daryl would be coming along with her to see the doctor. She wanted him there for the first ultrasound, hoping that the first little glimpse of their baby would help to get him as excited as she was.

“You okay?” he asked as he took her hand as they walked inside together.

“I’m great,” she said. “Excited. We’re going to get to see our baby today, you know.”

“Thought you said it’s the size of a peanut,” he said. “Ain’t gonna be much to see.”

“There’ll be enough there to know it’s our baby.”

He smiled for a brief moment, but then he was all seriousness again. “Will we know if it’s a boy or a girl?”

Carol smiled. “Not for a while.”

Daryl was mostly silent after that, never releasing his hold on Carol’s hand until they were finally seated inside a small room. Daryl stood beside Carol once she was situated on the examination table, and he grabbed hold of her hand again.

“Alright, hello there,” the doctor said with a friendly smile as she entered the room. “I’m Doctor Andrea Harrison. How are we doing today?”

“Great,” Carol said, glancing over to look at Daryl.

“You two are first time parents, right?” Carol and Daryl both nodded. “Well then, I’m sure you guys are nervous. Why don’t we take a peek and see what’s going on in there, huh?”

Daryl watched with his eyes wide as Andrea moved around the room, spreading some sort of gel on Carol’s stomach before getting some sort of machine into position. Carol’s eyes were wide with excitement as she watched the doctor work, but Daryl could barely even think straight over the pounding of his heart. An image appeared on a screen attached to the machine, and Daryl squinted as he looked at it.

“What’re we lookin’ at?” he asked, trying to decipher a clear image for himself.

“See that shape right there?” Andrea asked, pointing at the screen. “That’s your baby.”

Daryl stared at the baby in silence, struggling to grasp the idea that that was really their baby in there.

“Does it look okay?” Carol asked. She was smiling so wide as she looked at the screen, and Daryl could barely contain his own grin as he watched her reaction. She was practically glowing.

“Everything looks good,” Andrea replied. “Baby has a totally normal, healthy heartbeat. And if you look here, you can see them kicking away. Looks like an active little boy or girl.”

“Oh my God,” Carol whispered in awe.

“Yeah,” Daryl agreed, his eyes never leaving the screen. “Oh my God.”

“I’d say we’re about ten, maybe eleven weeks along. I’ll print out a couple of photos of this for you guys to take home with you.”

“Wow,” Daryl said softly.

Andrea moved to wipe the gel off of Carol’s stomach for her, and Daryl turned to look at Carol. She was smiling up at him, and for the first time in the past few weeks, Daryl actually felt excited about this next new adventure with Carol.

They left the doctor’s hand in hand, and Carol held the pictures of their baby in her free hand. Daryl couldn’t hide the smile that spread across his face whenever he saw it.

“So, how are you feeling, _Dad_?” Carol asked with a grin. “You haven’t stopped smiling since we saw our baby.”

“Our baby,” Daryl repeated, giving her hand a squeeze. “That’s our baby.”

“Yeah. It is,” she said with a smile. “Are you excited now?”

He looked at her, leaning over to give her a soft kiss on the lips. “Can’t wait,” he said. 


End file.
